Princess Party
by Supa Supa Bad Truly Mad Moves
Summary: Arendelle is visited by delegations from Corona and DunBroch, which turn out to be more special than anyone could have guessed. While cousins Anna and Rapunzel become fast friends, Merida takes one look at Elsa and suddenly becomes obsessed with marriage. Tangled/Brave/Frozen/Moana crossover. Hard T bordering on M. Heartwarming. Funny. Erotic. EPIC.
1. Day 1, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** Disney would _so_ not approve.

 **AN:** Hey, y'all! I've had the urge to do this fanfic for, like, years. Always starts with the same set-up: delegations from Corona and DunBroch visit Arendelle, resulting in, as the summary suggests, an Anna/Rapunzel friendship and an Elsa/Merida romance. But I never really had any idea where that story would go. What finally pushed me to start the story is when Disney gave the world a key element that was missing from the story's set-up—namely, Moana. Having a fifth temperament to add to my ensemble was exactly what I needed. Where the story ultimately leads, I still don't know, but having Moana thrown into the mix will definitely take it much farther, and in many more directions, than I had originally planned.

Exactly how this story would be delivered has gone through a number of variations, ranging from kid-friendly to outright smut. I'm putting it somewhere in the middle… perhaps leaning toward the latter. Yeah, fair warning: I may have rated this story T, but I'm kind of pushing the limit of the rating as far as it goes. This is easily the most sex-driven story I've ever written (and with my fanfic résumé, that's saying a lot), and if I did it in a visual medium, it would certainly _not_ get a T rating, because nudity. This is, technically, literature, and in my experience for whatever reason literature can have much more risqué content than other media of the same age range, I've long been shocked by what can be found in the "teen" section of my local libraries and bookstores, so… hoping that applies here. As I intend to play the sexual content more for comedy than fanservice, I hope that makes it more okay. But what do I know? Let's get this started.

 **PRINCESS PARTY: BOOK ONE**

 **Day 1, Part 1**

Elsa stood, still and silent, at the gates of Arendelle castle, her white hair in its customary French braid and topped by a newly-forged crown made just for the occasion, a large and stern-looking tiara of silver and diamonds. Her hands were clasped in front of her and her eyes on the far-off harbor, where two foreign ships had docked. Anna stood in her usual place to Elsa's right and slightly behind her, her hair also in a single braid much longer than Elsa's, eagerly scanning the crowds, standing on tiptoes and craning her neck as she twitchily, hungrily searched.

"Anna…" Elsa said gently. "You won't know her when you see her. You've never met Princess Rapunzel."

" _Cousin_ Rapunzel," Anna corrected with a low growl. "And sure I have. She was at your coronation."

"Did you actually _see_ her there?" Elsa challenged.

Anna blinked rapidly. "Well, she _was_ there, so I'm sure I must have," she sniffed. Her eyes suddenly widened and she grasped Elsa's shoulder with one hand. "Oh! Remember, she's a brunette now! We shouldn't be searching for a blonde…"

"You never met her when she was a blonde, either," said Elsa, amusement beginning to creep into her voice.

"No, but I've been picturing a blonde all my life," Anna admitted. "Our cousin, the deified, very blonde, lost princess. It's a story that sticks with you. I need to get into the brunette-seeking mindset." She pressed her fingers to her temples, eyes closed, and hummed lightly. "Okay! Here I go!"

She grinned, and returned to scanning the crowd with renewed vigor.

~0~0~0~

One of the ships in the harbor was marked with a golden sun, the crest of the kingdom of Corona. It was moored and seemingly empty, but in one of the cabins below, Rapunzel shared a bunk with her husband, her body entangled around his beneath their blanket, her short-cropped dark hair decorated with a tiny side-braid.

A knock came at their cabin door. "Princess Rapunzel," a guard called out. "You do realize that we docked in Arendelle almost an hour ago?"

"Yeah," Rapunzel called back sleepily, lazily stretching her arms. "Sorry… we weren't quite done in here. We'll be out any moment now."

"Yes, your highness."

The guard's footsteps departed, slowly fading away. Rapunzel lifted her head and gazed into Eugene's face; he appeared to be completely asleep.

Rapunzel started toying with his lips, making them flap up and down as she imitated him in a nasal voice: "I'm Flynn Rider. I'm such a good lover."

Slowly and stealthily, still appearing to be asleep, he hooked his own fingers around Rapunzel's lips, putting on a falsetto voice: "I'm Rapunzel. I just lie there and do nothing."

"No I don't!" she laughed, playfully swatting his hand away. "You know I give it all I've got."

"Then why am I so tired?" he grumbled.

"Don't blame me for your terrible stamina, Eugene," she said. She rolled on top of him and they shared a prolonged, passionate kiss, the bed sheets bunching up around their bodies.

When the drawn-out kiss ended, he opened his eyes for the first time, only a little, staring deeply into hers. "I wanna have babies with you," he said softly.

"Well, we're on the right track," she said, snuggling close to him. "We just gotta keep doing this every single day."

"Every day, huh? That sounds like a lot of work."

"I kinda think I'm up for it," she assured him. "Maybe. Little bit."

He grabbed her lip again. "I looooove having sex with my husband!" he squeaked.

Rapunzel gave a little laugh. "You don't have to force me to say that." She snuggled closer to him. "We should probably get out of bed. My cousins are probably wondering why we haven't gotten off the ship yet."

"Yeah, we should," he agreed. Neither of them moved for several seconds.

"Some voyage, huh?" Rapunzel remarked. "Not much to do on a weeks-long boat trip but stay in bed with each other all day. As active as we've been, I wouldn't be at all surprised if I was rocking a little bit of a baby bump by the time we get back home."

"That would sure be something," Eugene said fondly. He reached up and gave her rear end a quick, tight squeeze.

"Eeee!" Rapunzel squeaked, jumping at the touch. Grabbing his lip yet again, she said, "I'm Flynn Rider and I'm a baby-making machine!"

As he chuckled at that, she flung herself out of bed, her naked, petite body almost shining in the sunlight through the porthole. Almost instantly, she slipped into a pair of frilly, lacy knickers, and picked out a neatly-folded burgundy dress which was draped across a chair.

"You know, you don't call me Flynn Rider very often," Eugene remarked, leaning to rest on his side. "Why do you, sometimes?"

"I've always thought of you as Eugene, ever since you first told me your story," she said, mostly fiddling with her dress rather than making any effort to start putting it on. He himself sat up and began pulling on his trousers. "But sometimes when we get really crazy in bed I see a _lot_ of Flynn Rider in your eyes. The guy who… just wanted to take everything."

He froze in place, midway through clasping his belt.

"Don't worry," she said gently, touching his face. "In that context, it's… it's pretty hot." She winked.

"Huh," Eugene remarked. "Well, you've got better eyes than I do. When we're 'getting really crazy', I swear I can't see a thing. It's too much sensation, it's like my eyes just… shut down."

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "I suppose that's my fault. Sorry, I can't really help being an exceptionally gifted lover."

"No, you can't," he agreed standing up. He was holding his shirt, and she still held her dress in hand, but neither of them made a move to put these garments on, as though they didn't want to cover their eyes for even a moment. Eventually, Rapunzel set her dress aside and began helping him with the shirt.

"Of course," she said conversationally, "I _had_ to become a good lover just to keep up with you."

"Don't patronize me, it's all you in there," he said with a grin, gesturing to the bed. "If I can be frank, what you did today was so exceptional that I've completely forgotten where this ship actually is and what we're doing here. It's like you just knocked it right out of my brain."

She giggled. "Really?"

"Not a clue," he confirmed. He pulled on a blue overcoat over his shirt, and they embraced, holding the hug for several seconds. "So," he said, looking her nearly-nude body up and down, "are you going out there in _just_ your little frilly panties or what? Because I for one wholeheartedly support that, but it might be frowned upon here in… wherever we are."

She grumbled and hugged him tighter, pressing her face into his chest. "Getting dressed is hard. I don't wanna." She gazed up at his face. "Just one more little swirly before we go?"

He obliged, kissing her, swirling his tongue around inside her mouth just once before they parted.

"Mm, perfect," she said, a look of deep satisfaction in her eyes. "Okay, let's go."

She picked up the dress and pulled it over her head, while he sat down to get his boots on. Once her dress was fully straightened out, Rapunzel picked up her crown and placed it on her head.

"So… how do I look?" she said.

"Same as always," he said, beaming at her. "Pretty much perfect."

"Classy?" she asked, striking a few poses. "Elegant? Like I _didn't_ just have sex?"

"But for the doofus-like grin on your face, I'd never guess," he said with utmost sincerity.

Rapunzel giggled. "All right, then. Get those boots on. We've got business in Arendelle."

The two of them picked up their wedding rings and slipped them on their fingers, before opening the cabin doors and stepping out in the open air.

~0~0~0~

The other foreign ship in the harbor was smaller, thinner, in a much older style. It bore a flag emblazoned with the sword symbol of Clan DunBroch.

Out of the ship and onto the docks came the queen and her daughter. Elinor wore her hair longer and looser than ever before, but still carried herself straight and with quiet dignity. Merida, however, was constantly dancing on the balls of her feet, her red mane as untamed as ever, and it seemed that every time a woman passed by, Merida whirled, nearly overextending her neck and losing her balance to get a good look at her.

About the fourth time this happened, right about as they had stepped off the docks and onto the streets, Elinor rolled her eyes and grasped the top of Merida's head, forcing her to face forward.

"Merida!" she scolded as she did so. "We're here to discuss peace and trade, not ogle women."

"Mum…" Merida said condescendingly. "I thought we'd gone over the whole 'I'm gay' thing. You said you were okay with it."

"I _was_ …" Elinor said irritably, before catching herself and turning to face Merida, her tone now gentler, almost pleading. "I was. When I thought you'd be meeting a nice young lady and settling down with her. But ever since you came out, it seems all you've done is bring every young woman in DunBroch to your bedchambers."

"Er… no," Merida said awkwardly. "That's not true… I did some of them _before_ I came out…"

"Regardless, it's shameful," said Elinor, beckoning that the pair of them should keep walking. "It doesn't matter how non-traditional a princess you're trying to be, Merida. No one, man _or_ woman, should sleep around."

"Shameful, huh?" Merida said thoughtfully.

"I would say so," Elinor said firmly. "And an abuse of power."

"How's that, then?" Merida demanded, tilting her head.

Elinor looked at her reproachfully. "Most people _aren't_ gay, Merida. Of all the maidens you've been with, how many do you think were genuinely attracted to you, and how many were only doing as you wished because you're the princess and they were afraid to refuse you?"

"Er… fifty-fifty?" Merida suggested with a forced grin. She slouched, staring at her feet. "See, I never thought of that. Maybe… maybe when we get back home I can send around some gift baskets to apologize."

"That seems like it would be in order. I'm glad we were able to get this out in the open."

"Yeah… thanks for bringin' it to my attention, Mum," Merida said sheepishly.

Another woman crossed their path, and Merida craned her neck at her. Elinor scoffed loudly.

"What, I can't even look?" Merida demanded.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Yo, your author here. So let's talk a bit about this story's continuity.

I'm treating Rapunzel and Eugene's cameo in _Frozen_ as canon. However, the common notion that the king and queen of Arendelle were going to Rapunzel's wedding on the voyage that claimed their lives, I'm not going with that… though I've just realized that at no point in the film does the king tell Elsa that they're going to a cousin's wedding, apparently that's just such a pervasive piece of fanon that I erroneously remembered it as actually being implied in the movie, when in fact the reason for the voyage is never canonically given. And I'm keeping it that way, because if they were going to Rapunzel's wedding that would mean Rapunzel was married three years before the events of _Frozen_ , and I wanted Rapunzel and Anna to be the same age, so that would mean that their films were set in the same year. (that _Tangled_ came out three years before _Frozen_ creates a nice piece of symmetry, yes, but that's just not my style)

The short film _Frozen Fever_ semi-explicitly takes place on July 21, 1840, Anna's nineteenth birthday, which would place the events of _Frozen_ precisely a year earlier, in July of 1839. Now, _Tangled_ is set in the 1780s, and _Brave_ many centuries before that, and _Moana_ a millennium or two before _that_ , but… yeah, I'm gonna say all four films took place in the same year, 1839. We'll just assume Merida's Scotland is a bit more primitive than other nations, and that Moana's Polynesia has still never had any contact with outsiders, which might still be true in the 1840s, I dunno. Sounds plausible but not accurate. I'm taking a shot and going for it for the sake of telling a good story. All the films are loaded with stylistic anachronisms anyway, I'm not gonna sweat the accuracy too hard.

So, in this continuity, it's now March of 1841; more than one year but less than two have passed since the events of all four films. Oh, and incidentally, I'll be completely ignoring the entirety of the _Tangled_ TV series. Don't get me wrong, it's very good, and I'll be watching as much of it as I possibly can (which is just clips on Youtube, but so far there've been a lot of those), but I've planned so much of this story already that I couldn't possibly integrate anything from the show. Just to get ahead of the curve, I'm going to say the same thing about the upcoming _Frozen_ sequel, years away though it is.

I have _lots_ of other things to say about the fic's setting, but that would produce an Author's Note longer than any chapter in the story, so I'll divide it up among many more notes throughout future chapters.


	2. Day 1, Part 2

**AN:** Honestly, I don't know why I didn't write a story like this years ago! I've always had thoughts in my head about how such crossover scenes would go.

The sex lives of Disney Princesses have always been of interest to me. I'm probably one of the few people ever to have _said_ that, but I'm sure that literally everyone has thought it. Come on, admit it. Everyone. I'm sure everyone has seen the end of a Disney film (from back when they all ended with a wedding or pre-wedding) and wondered how their married life would go. I'm sure everyone has noticed that your average Disney Princess is going to be losing her virginity shortly after the film ends.

So I've always had an interest in the sexuality of Disney characters. And by "Disney characters" I mean attractive human Disney characters, not… well, you know. And by "sexuality" I mean what they're like as sexual beings, not orientation. Like most fictional characters, most Disney characters' sexual orientation falls under either "straight" or "doesn't matter", so there's little point in speculating.

It's hard to say whether it's good or bad that some, if not most, characters of "doesn't matter" orientation, such as Merida and Elsa, are seen by some as gay icons. Given that this is a Merida/Elsa story, I don't need to tell you that I think that's fine, that it works. It's like… they'll do. They'll do until Disney sees fit to give us some _actual_ gay icons. Without having to sneak them past us, as many creators have done. It doesn't help that when Disney _does_ sneak in gay characters—such as Oaken in _Frozen_ , Judy's neighbors in _Zootopia_ , the cops from _Gravity Falls_ —they make them pretty ridiculous characters, not exactly the type who'd inspire the world's youth. So, yeah, Merida and Elsa will do for now. They've done a decent enough job at it.

This was mostly a _rambling_ Author's Note, I'll get back to the important ones later…

 **Day 1, Part 2**

For the second time in their lives, Rapunzel and Eugene made their way down the stone bridge toward the castle gates.

"Okay, I was joking before, but also kinda… not," Eugene admitted. "What are we doing here again?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "My cousin Elsa, the queen, is trying to open the proverbial gates of Arendelle up a little bit, interact with the world more. So you and I are here to help with that, help her connect with _our_ kingdom. It's a trial for all of us. Elsa's been isolating herself for most of her life, and you and I are still very new to royal life, so there'll be a lot of measuring of aptitude going on."

"All right," said Eugene, looking her over. "Well, I don't claim to be an expert on royal etiquette, but shouldn't you be wearing shoes?"

"I don't wear shoes, Eugene," she said, grinning. "I just don't. End of story. You should know that."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that when you went barefoot under your wedding dress."

"I just… don't," Rapunzel said smugly.

In short order, they had reached the castle, and in the center of the gate they could see Queen Elsa, resplendent in a silver gown. As was typical, Elsa's dress was form-fitting but otherwise modest, save for a slit that tantalizingly hinted at one of her legs, and backed by a fabulous, fur-lined gray cape. Anna was at her side, seeming strangely preoccupied by the wood fibers on the castle gates.

Elsa quickly spotted Rapunzel by the sight of her elaborate crown, and beckoned to her in what she hoped was a manner both friendly and formal. Stepping ahead of Eugene, Rapunzel made her way to stand before Elsa, barely a foot away.

"Greetings, Princess Rapunzel," Elsa said stiffly. "It is good to see you well." She lowered her head in the smallest of bows.

Rapunzel smirked. "Oh, your majesty… there'll be no bowing and curtsying here, Queen Elsa. Cousins who have been through a hard time get hugs." Before that could sink in, she had pulled Elsa into a tight, loving embrace.

"I…" Elsa stammered. "Thank you, Rapunzel." She gently returned the hug, pulling Rapunzel imperceptibly closer. "I think I needed that."

"Don't even worry about it," Rapunzel said brightly as they parted. "So, hey, I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to speak last time I visited. We were on a tight schedule and had to get out of there immediately once the fjord unfroze… we didn't want my mother and father to worry, they'd only _just_ gotten me back, after all."

"I completely understand," said Elsa. "I apologize for putting you in such peril… God knows you had been through enough."

"Hey, what did I just say?" said Rapunzel, clasping Elsa's hand. "Don't even worry about it. So… let's get started! This is my husband, Eugene."

Elsa nodded to him. "It's good to see you, Prince Eugene."

"Good to see you too, cousin," he said casually. "So, hey, can I see your cool superpowers again? Never got a good look last time…"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel scolded.

"What?" he said defensively. "I hear it's all pretty now."

"No, it's fine," Elsa assured Rapunzel. She waved her hand elegantly, and a spray of enormous, crystalline snowflakes appeared out of nowhere and slowly floated to earth.

"Wow…" Rapunzel breathed. "That is so cool. I'd show you _my_ powers, but I lost them…"

Anna suddenly seemed to notice where she was, and jumped in surprise at the sight of Rapunzel. " _What?_ " she shrieked. "Elsa! Why didn't you tell me Cousin Rapunzel was finally here?"

"You were standing right next to me," Elsa said blankly. "I thought you—"

Anna wasn't listening; she squeezed past Elsa, pushing her backward, and leaned forward, her face inches from Rapunzel's, grinning maniacally.

"Hi, Rapunzel," she said, squeaking with uncontained glee. "I'm Anna."

"Ah," said Rapunzel with a little smile. "Thank you for saying so, I was just about to mispronounce your name."

"Happens all the time," Anna said dismissively. "Don't worry about it."

Seconds passed as her smile and her eyes grew wider and wider as if swelling with love. "Hiiiii," she said in a squeaky voice, as though the word were leaking out of her.

"Hiiiii," Rapunzel replied in similar tones, returning the broad smile cautiously. "It's… it's good to officially meet you at last, Cousin Anna." She spread her arms invitingly.

Anna looked from one arm to the other in bewilderment. "What's this? I get a hug?"

"Of course you do," said Rapunzel. "Bring it in."

"YAY!" Anna squeaked, throwing her arms around Rapunzel's shoulders and squeezing as powerfully as she could. "I've been waiting for you! Come on, let me give you a tour of the castle."

She grabbed Rapunzel by the hand and dragged her into the castle. Elsa and Eugene followed them at a walking pace.

Barely a minute letter, Elinor and Merida arrived at the castle gates, Elinor looking concerned while Merida remained fairly content, taking in the sights of the kingdom and, whenever she felt her mother wasn't looking, its women.

"Pardon me," Elinor said in a commanding tone to Kai the servant, who stood by the gates. "Where has the queen gone? She was just here."

"I believe she's gone to give Princess Rapunzel a tour of the castle," said Kai.

"Really?" Elinor said, a cross tone creeping into her voice. "I would have expected that I would accompany such a tour. I'm Queen Elinor of DunBroch, I'm quite certain Queen Elsa was expecting me? Surely I'm on a list or schedule of some sort?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Queen Elinor," said Kai, instantly jumping to attention, his back straight and avoiding eye contact with the queen. "Please follow me. I will help you locate Queen Elsa and get this matter straightened out."

~0~0~0~

"Ooh, and this is my favorite painting," said Anna, pointing to the portrait of Joan of Arc.

"Joan!" Rapunzel said in delight.

"Yeah!" said Anna, beaming at her. "I love Joan. You too, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely a fan," said Rapunzel, stepping back to admire the painting. "I follow her aerobics teachings religiously. Of course, it would probably be more appropriate to follow her _religious_ teachings religiously, but…"

"Who has the time, am I right?" Anna said cheerfully. "Oh, Elsa!"

Elsa and Eugene had finally caught up with them, the tour having meandered back and forth a bit before coming to a stop here in the portrait gallery. Elsa had removed her cape and was folding it, draping it across her own forearm. At the sight of her, Anna grabbed Rapunzel and pulled their faces close together, displaying them to Elsa.

"Have you _seen_ us?" Anna said exuberantly. "It's like I'm looking in a mirror. A mirror with a cute, short haircut! Only our coloring's a bit different. And I have more freckles. And Rapunzel has bigger teeth. In a totally cute way, incidentally. I love your teeth. But other than that, we could be twins!"

Elsa looked them over, and her eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Wow… you really _could_ be."

"Oh, we are gonna have so much fun together!" Anna gushed, holding both of Rapunzel's hands in her own. "I've never had visitors before. Well, except… meh, I'll tell you later. What do you wanna do?"

"Well, if it's not an imposition, I'd like to meet your snowman!" said Rapunzel. "Is he around?"

"No, Olaf's not here right now," Anna said, pouting. "He's abroad, he's helping out another relative of ours, Princess Sofia, with… I dunno, somethin'."

"Sofia," Rapunzel said thoughtfully. "She's King Roland's stepdaughter, isn't she? I've met her. She is _so_ cute."

"I haven't had the privilege," Anna admitted. "Someday, I hope."

"Queen Elsa?" came Kai's voice.

Elsa turned around, to find Kai leading Elinor and Merida into the gallery.

"Queen Elinor of DunBroch," Kai said grandly, presenting her to Elsa.

"Oh!" Elsa exclaimed. "Queen Elinor, I am so sorry. I did _not_ mean to leave you hanging outside. My sister was eager to begin showing our cousin around, and I thought it would be best to stick with her… I hope you aren't offended."

"Not at all, Queen Elsa," Elinor said smoothly. "We're here now. Permit us to join you on the tour and we'll put this behind us."

"Absolutely," Elsa said in relief. "Well, just follow me and, well, it seems that Anna will lead the way. Enjoy the tour." She glanced at Merida, and promptly did a double-take.

"My daughter, Merida," Elinor explained. At the sound of her name, Merida, who had been examining the paintings with interest, turned to face Elsa, her eyes widening at the sight of her.

The two of them held that eye contact, motionless, for several seconds, before Elsa found she had to breathe and inhaled sharply, which brought her back to her senses.

"Ah, so you're Princess Merida," Elsa said, recovering quickly, inclining her head at her with a smile. "Forgive my staring… my advisors neglected to prepare me for how beautiful you are. I was caught off-guard."

Merida just blinked at her. "Er… yeah. Same."

"Why, thank you," said Elsa. "Well, shall we?"

"Lead on, Queen Elsa," said Elinor.

Elsa turned away from them and proceeded down the hall. Staring after her, Merida reached out with one hand and unerringly grasped Elinor's arm.

" _That's_ Queen Elsa?" she whispered shrilly. "You didn't tell me she was my age! I was expecting someone more like… well, you."

Elinor glanced, frowning, at Merida's fingers, which were beginning to dig into her flesh. "Er… as I recall, she's five or six years your senior," she said, gently prying the fingers away.

"Oh. Hmm," Merida said thoughtfully, gazing after her. "Well, I usually take 'em a bit younger than me, but… mmm, if ever a rule was made to be broken. Look at her! The face, the makeup, the way she walks in that slinky dress…"

Elinor stared at her, wild-eyed. "Merida, no!" she hissed. "I forbid it."

"But… but…" Merida objected, gesturing weakly. "Look at her butt! It's amazing!"

"Merida!" Elinor snapped. "She's a queen. Your childish flirtations aren't going to suck her in, and if you tried you would severely damage the fledgling relationship between our kingdoms. Any move you make on her had best be chivalrous courtship with the aim of marriage."

Merida gaped at her mother. "Marriage?"

"Aye," Elinor said, smug at the effect this had had. "It would be quite beneficial! If you married the queen of Arendelle, that would qualify this diplomatic mission as a resounding success, wouldn't you say?"

"Hmph!"

"But I'll _not_ have my kingdom entangled in some sort of sex scandal. You will _not_ proposition the queen. Do I make myself clear?"

"Fine," Merida grumbled. "I won't try to seduce her the way I've done with the other girls."

The pair of them followed behind the tour, processing only the occasional word of Anna's enthusiastic commentary.

"…But I can court her?" Merida said softly.

"What?" Elinor replied absently.

"You're sayin' that if I want to bed Queen Elsa, I have to marry her first, yeah?" said Merida, raising an eyebrow at Elinor.

"That's… that's not _exactly_ what I…" Elinor said nervously.

"Done," Merida said simply.

"You're… going to court her?" said Elinor in disbelief.

"Just look at her!" said Merida, gesturing to Elsa with a grin. "How bad can it be to be married to _that?_ "

"Well… I was only teasing you, but it actually _would_ prove quite prosperous to have you on the throne over here…" Elinor pondered. "Though I would feel awfully empty coming home without you, dear."

Merida squeezed her hand. "I know, Mum. I'd miss you too." The gesture and words seemed fairly absent; clearly she was thinking very hard, her eyes darting across Elsa's hair, shoulders, and backside. "I'll do it," she said decisively. "I'll marry her and I'll make our kingdom proud. How long are we stayin' here?"

"Two weeks," Elinor said uneasily.

"Hrmm… well, I can convince most lasses to come to bed with me in five minutes," Merida said casually. "I'm sure I can get the queen to want to marry me in half an hour at most. Hmm… if I marry a queen, does that make _me_ a queen?"

"Hard to say," said Elinor, intrigued by the question. "I don't think any queen has ever had a wife… but, all things being equal, I'd say so."

"Ha!" Merida said triumphantly, giving her mother a sidelong smirk. "When I'm a queen, you won't be able to forbid me from anythin'."

"I won't need to," Elinor said evenly, a smirk of her own faintly evident. "You'll have a country to run. Lots of responsibility."

"…Damn it," Merida muttered.

"Still want to marry her?"

Merida leaned to the side to get another look at Elsa's face, which seemed genuinely intrigued and surprised by the impassioned speech Anna was making about yet another painting.

"I do," said Merida, lowering her voice as the two of them caught up with the group. "I really, really do."

Elinor frowned. "That's not like you at all. You must _really_ want her body."

"I do," Merida repeated, her eyes darting hungrily over Elsa's figure. "I really, really do."

~0~0~0~

"And here's where you two will be staying," said Elsa, opening the door of a grand bedroom.

"Oh, mama!" Eugene said gleefully. He ran into the room and did a belly-flop onto the bed. "Oh. Ohhh, wow. I think I'm melting. Ah, a bed that doesn't bob all over the ocean waves at last. Mmm." He grabbed a pillow and snuggled it, wrapping his arms and legs around it. "You go on ahead, honey, I'll take care of our luggage when it gets here. Maybe. If I feel like it."

Rapunzel smiled. "Rest up, honey." She gently closed the door on him, remaining out in the hall with Elsa and Anna. "He's not much for sea travel," she told them. "Plus, I kinda wore him out this morning, doing… stuff. It's a lovely room, cousin. Thank you."

She hugged Elsa, who jumped in surprise. "Whoop!" she exclaimed, slowly bringing her own arms around Rapunzel. "I'm gonna have to get used to this, aren't I?"

"You sure are," said Rapunzel.

They walked down the hallway together, and Rapunzel draped her arms across both of their shoulders, pulling them close—which was rather awkward for them, as she was quite a bit shorter than them both and was dragging them downward.

"So," said Rapunzel, looking between the two of them, "how are you two doing?"

"We're fine," said Elsa.

"No, no, Elsa," Rapunzel said sternly, breaking their embrace to stand in front of them. "I mean how are you _really_ doing? I happen to know you two spent thirteen years locked up in this place with no company to speak of. I know what that's like. Tell me how you're holding up. You can trust me."

Elsa touched Rapunzel's shoulder gently. "We are doing a lot better than we've ever done before. Thank you. How are _you_?"

"Yeah," Anna said sympathetically, her eyes wide. "You've been through a lot too."

"Oh, I'm doing great!" said Rapunzel. "The past can haunt you pretty bad, I know. It helps a lot to have people who love you and understand…"

"Yeah," said Anna, gently snuggling up to Elsa. "I try my best to keep her upbeat, but she's got so much guilt inside her."

Rapunzel beamed at Elsa. "Positive self-talk. That's what you need."

"I'm trying," Elsa said softly.

"Well, I'm here for you if you need to talk," Rapunzel assured her. "About anything."

The three of them shared a silent moment, all merely smiling at each other.

"I… I think this pretty much concludes our tour of the castle," Elsa mumbled, gesturing vaguely. "If you want to get settled into that room…"

"If you'd prefer," said Rapunzel with a small smile.

"Whatever you like," said Elsa. "And we'll see you at the banquet tonight."

Rapunzel nodded. "Cool."

"I mean, we call it a banquet, but it's going to be a very small affair," Elsa clarified. "Just me and Anna and our royal guests."

"Well, and my boyfriend will be there too," Anna added. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Rapunzel. "I can't wait to meet him."

Anna grinned gleefully. "Eeee!"

"So, how many other royal guests do you have?" Rapunzel asked Elsa. "Just those two Scottish ladies?"

"Yes," Elsa said quietly.

"Boy, the hair on that redhead, am I right?" Rapunzel said enthusiastically. "I've never seen hair that impressive… except maybe my own. Maybe not even that, though. I almost wish I still had it so I could compete with her."

"I would have liked to see that," Anna agreed. "But I love your hair right now. It's the cutest." Her hands darted up and began playing with Rapunzel's hair eagerly.

Rapunzel giggled. "Thanks. Actually, you two have really great hair too. Family trait, I guess. All three of us, we have lots of shine and body, we're very lucky. Elsa, has your hair always been white?"

"Since birth," Elsa said absently. She waved her hand and produced some sparkling snowflakes. "Came with this, I imagine." She had stepped away from the other two and wasn't looking at them.

"What's wrong, Elsa?" Anna said suddenly.

Elsa was silent for several moments before answering. "I think Princess Merida might be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," she said slowly, turning back to face them.

"Oh, she is lovely!" Rapunzel said eagerly. "Such intense eyes."

"Why does that seem to bother you, sis?" asked Anna.

"Well, it wouldn't," said Elsa, "except… I told her that. To her face. It was the first thing I ever said to her. After just kind of staring at her for about ten seconds. That's weird, right?"

Anna and Rapunzel glanced at each other. "Um… kinda?" Anna offered.

"Not… not so weird that it's, like _weird_ , but…" Rapunzel mused. "I mean, I'm sure it's a very flattering thing to be told."

"Did she say you're beautiful too?" said Anna. "She should have. 'Cause you are."

"Sort of," Elsa said uneasily. "She said 'same'. And she was staring right back at me with this really shocked expression."

"Oh, then it's not weird," Anna assured her. "You were just both caught by surprise. And why wouldn't you be? She's beautiful and you're beautiful. If I was seeing you for the first time, I'd totally do a double-take. Because you're beautiful." She hugged Elsa. "Don't sweat the small stuff, sis."

Rapunzel stepped forward and placed her hands on both of their backs as they hugged. "I'll see you ladies tonight, then," she said. "Don't beat yourself up so much, Elsa. Love yourself!"

She departed, to join Eugene in the nearby room.

"It's cute that she thinks it's that easy," Elsa said bitterly.

"I don't think she does, Elsa," Anna said seriously. "She just knows it'll help."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** One thing that was important to me was pinning down this universe's attitudes and beliefs, the kind that would realistically be seen in a Disney Princess universe. Although, fun fact that I just learned, Anna and Elsa are actually _not_ Disney Princesses; though it was intended that they would be the twelfth and thirteenth princesses in the lineup, and a lot of people consider them as such, _Frozen_ merchandise moves so well on its own that Disney figured adding them to the Disney Princess line would be redundant. Moana, if she is found worthy of the lineup, will be the twelfth princess instead.

Anyway, the princesses, official and otherwise, are very much a product of their time, which is to say, the time period in which their films were _made_. They hold values which seem like common sense by modern standards, some would even say they've steadily stayed _behind_ the times with their values. But by the standards of the time periods in which their films are _set_ , their values would be seen as so outrageous that "radical feminism" would be a gross understatement, and yet in the context of the films, these values are treated as quirky oddball liberalism at worst. Disney Princesses are like their universe's equivalent of hipsters, basically.

So I keep that in mind as I consider what people would believe in a Disney universe. Setting aside the issue of feminism for just a moment, one example would be how most Disney heroes know that using magic is not, in and of itself, an act of evil; though a lot of people in their setting probably _would_ , and indeed we occasionally see a Disney character who's of that opinion, though it's never dwelt upon. It might be _worth_ dwelling on, might it not? Anyway, social commentary to be continued with the story, catch you later…


	3. Day 1, Part 3

**AN:** So! Continuing my earlier thoughts about the Disney brand of radical feminism: Women didn't have a lot of clout in the world until about 1920 or so, and to this day, they still don't have _enough_ clout, not as much clout as they _should_ … I would define "enough" clout as being as much clout as a man would in the same situation. Mind-bogglingly, the world doesn't seem to be ready for that kind of clout yet. I just said the word "clout" way too many times.

Disney films don't _completely_ disregard the difficulties their characters would face given their age, gender, and race in their location and time period. Sure, they downplay it by a factor of about a million, but it's still always _there_. And that's good, because in a lot of fanfics like this one, a lot of Merida/Elsa stories for instance, no one bats an eye at the same-sex relationship. And that's good, that's healthy, the world definitely _needs_ fiction like that as a vital step on the path to no one in real life batting an eye about it either.

But I didn't want to do that here. In the Disney universe, the norm is for 16-year-old girls to go through with arranged marriages. Such an antiquated baseline must be acknowledged in a Disney fanfic. But our princess always challenges these ideas, always eventually gets the people around her to see her point of view… so, with that being the case, putting all these factors together, my assessment would be that being gay here in the _Princess Party_ universe carries, well, all the risks it does in modern America. Decent people won't look at you twice, but there'll always be those people who think that taking all your rights away is somehow more holy than just letting you be.

Ultimately, that's who Disney Princesses represent, after all: the contemporary American teenage girl. Contemporary in that Cinderella represented a 1950 teen, Ariel a 1989 teen, Anna a 2013 teen, you get it. Minus a couple years for animation taking a long time and for most writers being a teensy bit behind the times in general.

 **Day 1, Part 3**

Later that evening, Merida edged her way along the wall of a corridor in Arendelle Castle. Her sneaky demeanor did nothing but draw puzzled looks from passing castle staff.

"Not especially subtle, are you?" Elinor said wryly, following behind her openly.

"Can't help it," Merida muttered, peering around a corner. "I'm crazy in love."

Elinor raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, okay, lusty infatuation," Merida submitted. "But that can lead to love!"

"It's been known to," Elinor agreed. "So, what's your plan? How will the princess who's conquered so many maids and serving girls conquer a queen?"

"First things first—got to gather information," Merida said fiercely. "An undervalued part of war, Dad always said… Watch this."

Merida elegantly swept around the corner, walking down the hall with her arms spread wide and with a gracious smile. "Princess Anna," she enunciated grandly, "you've been a most gracious host. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

Anna, who had been walking alone down this hallway, curiously stopped and watched as Merida approached her. "Sure," she said. "Princess Merida, right? From Scotland?"

"DunBroch, specifically," said Merida. "May I say, it's a delight to be in your beautiful kingdom and your beautiful home. A real treat."

"Aw, thanks," said Anna, beaming. "Elsa will be glad you're impressed. So, you had questions? What's on your mind?"

"Well…" Merida said, trying to keep her tone and words casual, "you're married, right? The gossip in DunBroch from a few months back said that you were betrothed to your royal ice harvester."

"Oh… no, that's my boyfriend," said Anna. "Not married or betrothed or even engaged, just dating. We've been together almost a year, but we haven't talked about getting married yet."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well, you shouldn't marry someone so soon after meeting them," said Anna. "It could go very wrong. My sister taught me that."

Merida's grin froze in place. "Er… Queen Elsa said that, did she?" she said nervously.

"Mm-hmm!"

"Ooh, dramatic irony strikes again!" Elinor muttered, standing a few feet behind Merida. "A half an hour at most, eh? Try almost a year. Delightful."

"Shut up, Mum," Merida said casually over her shoulder. To Anna, she tried to look cheerful again and asked, "Ah… what makes her say that, Princess?"

"Well…" Anna said reluctantly, "last year I kinda got engaged to this prince the day that I met him, and she thought that was crazy. As it turned out, she was pretty much right… I don't much like dwelling on the details, but I totally agree with her now."

Merida didn't quite understand, and she leaned back on her heels as she thought over Anna's words. At last, something occurred to her. "Oh!" she said, snapping her fingers. "So this engagement, it was a 'marry for love' thing?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, _now_ it makes sense," said Merida, nodding her head slowly. "So she thinks marrying for love should take more time. Fair enough… what does she think of marriages for political reasons?"

"Um… I'm not sure," said Anna. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. Just… I'm all for 'em."

Elinor stifled a snort.

"Stuff it, Mum," Merida commanded. To Anna, she urged, "Are you sure you don't know? It's important."

"Well… I _do_ know that quite a few people have come by seeking Elsa's hand," Anna offered. "This being a fancy, prosperous kingdom and all. She hasn't accepted any of them, but she's never given me her reasons for it."

"Turned away all the men that came knockin' at her door, eh?" said Merida, turning to give her mother a smug look. "And won't say why? Haha… that's a good sign…"

"Of what?" Anna said curiously.

Merida waved her hand dismissively. "Ach, just somethin' that's been on my mind. Politics, you know."

"Ah, yeah," Anna said sympathetically. "Been there! Well, I hope I've been helpful. Have I answered all of your questions?"

Merida beamed. "I think you have, Princess Anna. Thank you so much."

~0~0~0~

"Ugh, do we have to do the big fancy banquet?" Eugene muttered, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. "You know I don't excel in those environments. And that I'm a basket case if I don't get at least twelve hours of sleep."

"You'll be fine," Rapunzel assured him, squeezing his biceps as they walked down the castle hallway. "It's a very small dinner. Only for the local and visiting royals. That's like six people."

"Oh." Eugene pondered that for a moment. "Does that include me?"

"Of course," she giggled, smacking his rear lightly. "People don't call you Prince Eugene just to butter you up, honey. That's your actual title."

He interlaced his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand. "I still can't believe that sometimes," he said, gazing at her. "That I'm a prince… and that I'm married to you."

She snuggled up to him. "That is pretty crazy. Life can turn around like you wouldn't believe."

"Yup," he agreed. "Couple of outcast peasant orphans all our lives, now we're all gussied up and going to a princess party!"

"Booyah!" said Rapunzel. With their free hands, they high-fived.

As their corridor intersected with another, they met up with Elinor and Merida. Merida raised her hand in greeting, and Eugene responded with a high-five.

"…I wasn't supposed to do that, was I?" he said immediately, grinning awkwardly.

"Fine by me," said Merida, offering him her fist. Relieved, Eugene gave it a hearty bump with his own, and Merida turned her attention to Rapunzel. "We haven't met yet. I'm Merida."

"Rapunzel," she replied jovially, shaking her hand.

"Rapunzel, eh?" said Merida. "What sort of name is that?"

"It's… it's German for corn salad leaves," Rapunzel said sheepishly. "It was one of my evil adopted mother's favorite ingredients… I'm used to it, so I haven't switched to my birth name."

"Yeah, what _was_ your birth name again?" Eugene inquired.

"I forget," Rapunzel said dismissively. "Anyway, how about you? What's your story?"

"Who, me?" Merida said smugly. "I'm just a girl who likes to break tradition. Ain't no gettin' locked in a tower for _this_ princess. I'm in charge of my _own_ fate. I rescue myself. Whatcha think of that?"

"Meh, it's been done," said Eugene.

"You _do_ know I spent eighteen years locked in a tower, right?" Rapunzel said cautiously.

Merida blinked. "Erm… no, no I did not know that. I'm sorry…"

"Meh, don't worry about it, I deal with trauma really well," Rapunzel said flippantly. "Power of the sun, I think. Keeps me positive."

"Yeah, you'd be surprised how well-adjusted she is," Eugene confirmed, nodding.

"Well, it's good to meet you," said Merida, "but if you don't mind, I'm in the mood for some wine and dinner with the queen, like. Let's walk."

"Damn straight!" said Eugene.

"Yes," said Rapunzel, bowing her head. "And it's good to meet you too, Merida. You're not taller than me, I like that."

Merida laughed. "I had the same thought. Most people _are_ taller than you and I, aren't they?"

Rapunzel and Eugene led the way toward the dining hall, and Elsa met them at the entrance.

"Hello, cousin," she said, warmly embracing Rapunzel. "I'm very glad you're here, Rapunzel. I think we're going to be the best of friends."

"I certainly hope so," said Rapunzel. "Your story touched my heart, cousin. I want you to be as healed and happy as I am."

"I'm getting there," said Elsa. "Yeah… getting there."

The two of them kissed each other on the cheek and entered the room.

"Oh, God, that butt is going to drive me _mad_ ," Merida said raggedly, following at a distance. "I must have it." She mimed cupping Elsa's rear in both hands and squeezing it tight.

"Must you be so vulgar?" Elinor said in disgust. "Why not open with a little kiss? Run your fingers through her hair, or cup her face in your hands and gaze deeply into her eyes, maybe. Don't go straight for grabbin' her ass. What's wrong with you?" She smacked Merida hard on the rump.

Merida gasped and grinned evilly. "Mum! You naughty thing. Take your own advice and buy me a drink first, why don't you?"

Elinor rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I knew that was a mistake when I was halfway through doin' it."

~0~0~0~

The massive dining hall was mostly dark and empty tonight, with a small candlelit table set at its center, the table piled with potatoes and meats. Elsa sat at the head of the table in an ornate chair. Anna sat at Elsa's left, with Rapunzel and Eugene at the same side of the table, separated from Anna by an empty chair. Merida and Elinor were on Elsa's right, keeping their distance from her.

Elsa took a small taste from a wine goblet. Flinching a bit, she waggled the fingers on her free hand in the direction of the glass. Instantly, it became coated in a thick layer of frost, which dispersed just as quickly. Elsa took another sip and nodded, satisfied.

Feeling someone's eyes on her, she looked up and saw Merida, who, far from looking ashamed at being caught staring, beamed at her.

"I like it chilled," Elsa said defensively.

"It's lovely magic, your majesty," Merida replied, her smile diffusing the tension.

"Thank you," Elsa muttered into the glass.

"How do you do that?" Merida inquired, tilting her head. "Are you a witch?"

"Erm… technically a sorceress," Elsa said awkwardly. "Because I was born with it, you see."

Merida nodded. "Well, I like it. It's cool. Er, no pun—"

"No pun intended, yeah," Elsa finished for her. "Of course not."

"Ah," Merida murmured. "Yeah, you've heard that one before, because… because of course you have."

Almost simultaneously, the two of them looked away from each other, before sneaking a glance, catching each other looking, and rapidly looking away again.

Kristoff blundered in, making his way toward the empty chair at Anna's side, wrapped in several layers of warmth, his face blackened with a thin layer of dirt. "Hey," he called. "Sorry I'm late…" He looked around at all of them as he pulled his scarf off of his face with clumsy mittened hands. "Yeah, how about I wash and change and then get back to you?" he said sheepishly, instantly turning on his heel to the exit.

"Take your time, honey!" Anna called after him. "…Love you!"

Merida, meanwhile, had poured much of a bottle of wine into a huge golden goblet and was currently draining it. Elinor stared in disbelief as Merida's gulps grew louder and louder, and a full thirty seconds went by before she took a breath.

"Oh, this is gonna end well," she said dryly.

"Social lubricant, Mum," Merida whispered, smacking her lips. "If I'm gonna chastely woo the queen, I'm gonna have to be bold."

"You're gonna have to have your wits about you is what you're gonna need."

"Hmm. Well, too late now." She took another long drink.

"Enjoying that wine, Princess Merida?" Rapunzel said cheerfully.

"You're damn right," Merida slurred. "Oi, Punzel, tell me this… anyone ever told you… that you've got the face of an angel and the body of a fertility goddess?"

"Yup, this is definitely going according to plan," Elinor grumbled.

"Um… well, not in so many words," said Rapunzel, grinning nervously. "Thank you! I try to keep my face made up and my body in shape."

"No, no, listen, mate," Merida said insistently, waving her goblet around wildly. "Listen, mate, 'cause… 'cause listen, mate. Mate… listen."

"I'm listening," said Rapunzel, amused.

"Your face," Merida said seriously, "and the very specific curvature of your figure, mate… it, like, triggers this part of the brain, that beastly part that seeks out a place to go forth and multiply, if you catch my drift."

Rapunzel blushed. "Well… my husband is inclined to agree, I think."

"Oh, absolutely," said Eugene.

"Yeah… yeah yeah yeah," Merida said with a chuckle. "You pregnant yet?"

"We're working on it," said Rapunzel, beaming.

"Respect," said Merida, raising her glass to them. "It's all about keepin' the monarchy alive so the future generations have somebody lookin' after 'em, yeah? It's a lot of pressure!" She leaned back in the chair and put her feet on the table.

"Merida," Elinor hissed.

"About a year ago," Merida said wistfully, "these suitors were presented to me… nice guys overall, once you get to know 'em, but that's the trouble, innit, that you don't get a chance to get to know them. All they tell you is that you marry the one who beats the other two in an athletic competition. Guess that's _one_ way to decide who you're wakin' up next to for the rest of your life. But me and Mum here… we had lots of heart-to-heart talk, after a fashion. We had a lot to work through—long story, pretty cool story, lots of bears in it—but anyway, what we decided was… give me time. Let me get married in my own time."

"That's beautiful," Anna said.

"And at the time," Merida went on, her gaze drifting toward Elsa, "my own time was not about to happen. Again, nice guys, but not the kind of guys you marry. I knew _that_ for sure, long before I knew that _no_ type of guy is the type of guy I marry."

"Merida…" Elinor said nervously.

"What do you mean by that?" Elsa asked.

"Hmm?" said Merida.

"Why is 'no type of guy'…? I'm not sure I understand."

"You don't?" Merida said blankly. "What… oh! I'm gay, did we not establish that?"

Elsa's eyes widened. "Ah, no. No, we did not."

"All right, fair enough," said Merida, raising her glass. "Let's jump us back to the beginning of the story: I'm gay. Jump forward to where we were before…"

"Merida, I'm not sure this is wise," Elinor muttered, glancing around with unease.

Merida ignored her completely. "And mind you, all this was over a year ago," she said. "Now I'm seventeen, I'm the heir to the throne, and I'm not married. And everybody's like, Merida, what do you think you're doin'? It's outrageous! You're crazy! A seventeen-year-old royal with no husband? That's how democracies get started, ya radical terrorist!" She pounded her fist on the table. "I'm sure you understand the pressures yourself, Queen Elsa? You're what now?"

"I'm sorry?" Elsa said in alarm.

"How old?"

"Oh! I'm twenty-three."

"All right, so you _really_ get it," Merida said seriously. "A royal, in her twenties, unmarried. That's, like, unheard of!"

"There has been a certain degree of… alarm… and mounting pressure…" Elsa muttered, staring at her plate.

Merida nodded. "Bit of a sick world we live in, isn't it, the royal life? People look at it from the outside and think it's all dresses and tiaras. It is not."

"No, it isn't," Elsa agreed.

Merida smiled, relishing the eye contact she was sharing with Elsa. "Nope, there's a great deal of history, and diplomacy, heck, even a small bit of etiquette is hard. Know what I mean? Elocution, public speakin', oi, what a pain that was. And, uh, you know… apple never falls far from the tree and all that… for bonny sweet robin is all my joy…"

"W-what?" Elsa said blankly.

"Merida, darling, you've drifted into nonsensical babbling," Elinor muttered in amusement.

"Have I?" Merida said dreamily.

"Just a smidgen," Elinor chuckled. Under her breath, she added, "Maybe take your eyes off the sexy for a moment so you can gather your thoughts again?"

"Er… right." Merida looked away from Elsa and closed her eyes, placing a hand to her temples as she thought. Finally she turned to Elsa again, but made sure to aim her gaze just over Elsa's head this time. "You can get away with it, right? After a fashion? I mean, you being the actual queen, and you"—she nodded to Anna—"being sort of the extra, spare, bonus princess, there's not quite as much pressure, I'm guessing."

"Yeah, pretty much," said Anna.

"Well, I'm first in line to inherit, and it… well, it feels like a lot of pressure to put on a teen, is all," said Merida, fiddling with her silverware. "They say that when you turn sixteen, you're all grown up, but… I don't feel grown up."

The table was silent for a moment.

"You have some good ideas, Princess Merida," Rapunzel said earnestly. "I think that's why the system expects adult responsibilities from teens."

"How's that?" Merida said curiously.

"To prevent us from getting ideas," said Rapunzel. "Teens have a certain impulsiveness, this natural urge to circumvent everything they're supposed to do, to ignore everything they're taught to focus on what they learn for themselves. It's a need to disregard the rules and the advice, to buck tradition. I think by trying to put us in our place fairly early, the older generation gets to hang on to its own traditions, whether they're valuable or not."

The doors opened again, and Kristoff entered, his face washed and wearing a maroon jacket and white sash. "Hey, everyone," he said. "Sorry I'm late." He sat down next to Anna, shooting her a smile only to lean back in alarm at the sight of her entranced stare. "Um… what's up?"

"It's just…" Anna said shakily, biting her lip. "I don't want you to be something you're not, and I know you think this isn't the right look for you, but… I'd love it if you reconsidered." She gently stroked the edges of his jacket. "When you dress all snappy like this, you just make me want to…" She looked around the table, realizing all eyes were on her. "Want to, uh… want to… uh… to continue the chaste courtship we've enjoyed these past, what's it been, coming up on eleven months now?" Her voice had grown very shrill by the end of the sentence.

"What's the matter with you?" Kristoff said nervously.

"Nothing, nothing," Anna assured him, running her hand gently over his chest now. "Just… you know… I'm really into how chaste and gentlemanly and courtly and _chaste_ … and pure and proper and very, very chaste our relationship has been. It's not frustrating at all. Especially not when you put so much effort into looking fancy for my sake. It's really, really… _great_." She shot him a broad, toothy grin.

Merida leaned toward Elinor and whispered so only she could hear, "Last time I was that horny, I—"

"It cannot be overstated how much I don't want to hear the end of that sentence," Elinor grumbled.

Merida smirked at her. "Well, you're gonna. I'll spring it on you when you least expect it."

"Anyway, that was quite the tale, Merida," said Rapunzel. "I'm always interested in finding out more about the royal life. I didn't find out I was a princess until I was eighteen, so there's a lot I still haven't picked up on."

"Right," Merida said, intrigued. "You were lost?"

"Mm-hmm. And I already had a boyfriend when they found me, so… I was completely unaware there was a stigma there. I guess it makes sense, like you said, for safeguarding the monarchy." She turned to Elsa and Anna. "What's that like for you two, that pressure? You're both older than Merida and neither of you are married. Has that been difficult?"

"Well… not _too_ much," said Anna. "They _don't_ say you're all grown up at sixteen… ah, not here, anyway. Here in Arendelle we come of age at twenty-one, so I'm okay for now."

Elinor straightened in surprise. "Truly?"

"Yeah," said Anna. "We can get married younger than that, but we don't really have actual rights until then. We had to have a regent for three years before Elsa was twenty-one."

"And you're how old?" Elinor asked.

"Nineteen."

"And that's considered still a girl?"

"Pretty much."

"Mind-boggling," Elinor muttered.

"It _is_ strange," said Rapunzel. "I'm nineteen too, but in Corona, we come of age at eighteen. And it's sixteen for you?"

"Yup," said Merida.

"So…" Rapunzel said in amusement, pointing at Merida with her fork, "you're an adult where you come from but not where I do, and I'm an adult where I come from but not here."

"Different folks, different customs, I guess," Elinor marveled. "How very interesting…"

Rapunzel took a bite of the small chunk of meat on her fork and eyed Eugene. "Eugene, you've been quiet," she observed.

He froze in surprise. "…Is that so unusual?"

"Extremely," Rapunzel said jovially, poking him.

He shrugged. "I don't have anything to say. But I'm enjoying hanging out."

"Queen Elsa," Elinor said formally, "you look as though you have something on your mind."

Elsa, who had been staring at Merida with her jaw nearly slack, almost jumped in surprise. "Uh… that I do, Queen Elinor," she said hastily, adjusting her dress and straightening in her chair. "Forgive me for zoning out, I'm just really stuck on a point earlier in the conversation, where Princess Merida said… I've just never heard someone say so casually that they were gay. I always thought that was something one was supposed to keep hidden."

"You think everything is something to keep hidden," Anna said playfully. Elsa shot her a sidelong glare, and she withered under its force. "Too soon?"

"Well, as Princess Rapunzel so elegantly put it, I felt the need to buck tradition," Merida said proudly.

"Wow," Elsa breathed.

"Elsa, what are you so shocked about?" said Anna. "It's not as if we don't know any openly gay people."

"It's not?" Elsa said blankly.

"Oaken?" Anna pressed. "The sauna guy?"

Elsa stared.

"And his husband and their numerous children?" Kristoff supplied.

Elsa blinked rapidly. "…I'll be honest, I never once realized that that was the relationship that existed between all of them."

"That's because they don't feel the need to spell it out to everybody," Anna said wisely.

"Then this Oaken is humbler than I'll ever be," said Merida. "I wouldn't feel special if I thought there was anyone I knew who didn't realize I swung that way. I kinda feel the need to beat people over the head with it, like."

"Well, hey, we appreciate very much your willingness to tell everybody," said Eugene. "If only for the mental imagery that it conjures up."

Rapunzel choked on her wine. "Eugene!" she exclaimed, punching him lightly but unable to suppress her giggles.

"What? You're there too," he said defensively. "I can't dream without you, you know that. 'You are my dream' and all that."

"Aw, sweetie." Rapunzel did a double-take at Eugene as she pondered his words, then several other takes after that. "Anyway, it _is_ very brave of you, Merida. I commend your courage."

"Yeah?" said Merida, swelling with pride a bit. "Thank you. Maybe that's why I like throwin' it out there. Makes me _feel_ courageous."

"So… is there a special girl in your life?" Rapunzel asked, leaning toward her.

"Oh, there have been lots of those!" Merida said with relish. "Why, in the past two months alone, I've…" She glanced at Elsa. "But… but not at the present time, no. I'm, you know, lookin'… searchin'… one can only do the rebellious teen thing for so long. Maybe I'll happen upon my special someone… the one special lady for Princess Merida. That would be nice." She turned to Elinor in surprise. "It actually _would_ ," she whispered.

"That's all I've ever wanted," Elinor whispered back.

Merida smiled at her. "You really are always there for me."

Rapunzel's hand slid up onto the table and clasped Eugene's. "Aw… I really hope you find her," she told Merida.

"Yeah," said Anna, likewise taking Kristoff's hand. "Don't you worry, the one always come when you least expect it." She gazed at Kristoff, dewy-eyed.

Merida giggled. "I love this place! It's like visitin' the future, isn't it?"

"Aye!" said Elinor, impressed. "Much better reception than we'd get if you announced yourself to one of our vassal clans." She and Merida snickered at the thought.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Point being, (just picking up my thoughts from the pre-note because, like I said, these ANs are really just one really big AN) Disney princesses _do_ have quite a bit more clout than they would in real life, being young women in, well, anywhere pre-1920 (I believe _The Princess and the Frog_ is set in 1920 on the dot, so there you have it). When they don't conform, it's not treated as _completely_ absurd, just a _little_ bit absurd. Bizarre and confusing, but nothing to get angry or worked up about. So I'm trying to present the _Princess Party_ universe in a similar fashion.

In this case, relevant to the very chapter you just read, Merida is not only openly gay, but is deliberately very flamboyant about it, because at heart she's a risk-taker, and she's kind of daring people to tell her what they think. That daring spooks the hell out of Elinor because of its potentially disastrous results, but Elinor herself simply doesn't see Merida's sexual orientation as a factor in how proud she is of her daughter.


	4. Day 1, Part 4

**AN:** Another noteworthy little note, I think, looking at the overall Disney Princess milieu, I found there was one little piece of psychological baggage that wound up slipping into the story almost without me noticing, and that's that our main characters who are women over the age of 18 kinda see themselves as over the hill. It's kinda like anime that way; the absolute maximum age for anyone good, important, and attractive is 21, and there's only one token wizened veteran who's _that_ old—the Disney universe's token 21-year-old is, of course, Elsa. A handful of love interests are older than that, but the rule generally stands.

Heck, I'm sure a _lot_ of people reaching adulthood even in modern times feel that they've gotten too old to achieve their dreams… I know I certainly do. The key difference here, the big spooky difference, is that our princesses live in a world that kind of agrees with them, a world that looks at an 18-year-old woman and thinks, shouldn't she really be a wife and mother by now? Merida went into that a bit in the previous chapter. Flippant as she is, I'm sure she's secretly dreading turning 18.

When Moana finally shows up in the story, you'll find that I broke canon a bit so that she was 14, rather than 16, during the events of her film. This is largely to have one member of our ensemble who's distanced from that particular insecurity, but more on that later.

…Hmm, I think I'm done. I think that was the entire "one really big AN". Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would. Awesome.

 **Day 1, Part 4**

As Rapunzel and Eugene left the dining hall together, a servant immediately stepped up to them.

"Might I escort the pair of you to your room, Prince Eugene?" he said grandly, bowing low.

"Might you?" said Eugene, mimicking the servant's posh manner. "Don't mind if we do! Let's go!"

He grinned at Rapunzel, who was staring with curiosity at Anna and Kristoff, who seemed to be saying goodbye to each other on the opposite side of the hallway.

"You go on, honey," she told Eugene absently. "I'll catch up."

Eugene followed her gaze, then shrugged and faced the servant. "You heard her! Lead on, my good fellow!"

Eugene and the servant disappeared, and shortly thereafter, Kristoff followed, leaving Anna and Rapunzel alone in the corridor, standing a dozen feet apart, looking at each other, grinning and shuffling on their feet, neither of them ready to say anything.

"This is gonna sound a bit weird," Anna finally said, "but can I have another hug?"

"What do you think I've been standing here waiting for?" Rapunzel demanded, her grin broadening.

They raced toward each other and hugged, sinking into it with deep, satisfied sighs.

"Mmm," Anna said blissfully. "Oh, it's so good to see you… to know that you're safe and you're home and with your parents again…" She began playing with Rapunzel's hair again. "I've spent my whole life fantasizing about you coming back, and finally meeting you… and that you'd be just like me. And that I'd have a new sister."

She backed away to look into Rapunzel's eyes, grasping both of her hands. "That was… before. I don't need a new sister now. Things between me and Elsa are great. But everything else has been, like, wow. You're exactly the way I dreamed. Only, you know, not blonde."

Rapunzel smiled sadly. "I missed out on a lot by being kidnapped as a baby, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Anna agreed solemnly. "What'd you have to go and do a thing like that for?"

Taken completely by surprise by the joke, Rapunzel actually snorted, tugging her hands away from Anna's to cover her mouth and nose.

"…Do you wanna have, like, a sleepover?" Anna asked suddenly.

Rapunzel blinked. "A sleepover?"

"Yeah," Anna said, a pleading edge in her voice. "We could camp out in the middle of the ballroom. What do you say? We can draw pictures together, and give each other makeovers…"

Rapunzel was silent for a moment, before she quietly suggested, "Manicures?"

"Yes," Anna said breathlessly. "YES! Oh, Rapunzel… I don't know if you know this, but your parents visited my parents here three times between the time Elsa went into isolation and when my parents got lost at sea. They were practically the only people _ever_ to pass through the castle gates during that time. Once when I was six, once when I was eleven, and once when I was fourteen, and they stayed for a couple of months each time. It was always nice to see them, because, hey, new people, that didn't happen very often. But I remember it was always very hard to talk to them… they were very sad people. I understand that, of course. I don't have any idea what it's like to have children, but… I imagine that you'd never, ever stop missing them if they disappeared."

Rapunzel didn't answer.

Anna nodded thoughtfully. "I just can't stop thinking about how, if there was any justice in the world, you would have been there with them every time they came here. And we would have been the same age all of those times, because… well, because we _are_ the same age, that's just how it works. And we would have spent time together and had super-fun-awesome cousin sleepovers! Both of us. …And Elsa would have been there too, I suppose, while we're talking about hypothetical things that… should have happened… Oooooh! Elsa would have made it snow in the ballroom! Now _that_ would have been camping! She used to do that all the time. …Or so she's told me. All my memories of it have been erased. Or at least modified. I have a lot of memories of playing with Elsa outside in the snow which I _guess_ actually took place indoors… and have been modified only… only slightly…" She blinked rapidly. "Uh… what was I saying?"

"Something about a super-fun-awesome cousin sleepover?" Rapunzel supplied.

"YEAH!" Anna shrieked exuberantly, barely managing to stifle herself before it could echo too loudly around the halls.

Rapunzel smiled. "You know what? Let's do it. I'll meet you in the ballroom. I've just gotta go and tell my husband where I'll be." She walked away a few paces, before turning back to Anna, amused. "That is _not_ something one usually says before a sleepover. We really _are_ making up for lost time."

"Yeah…" Anna said, but she wasn't smiling. The thought seemed to have genuinely saddened her.

Rapunzel hugged her again, and Anna practically moaned as she returned the hug.

"All right," Anna whispered. "Meet me in the ballroom as soon as you can."

~0~0~0~

Elsa slowly walked along the high-ceilinged corridor, her eyes on her own feet, her head swimming with cluttered thoughts she couldn't quite sort out.

"Hello, your majesty."

She looked up in surprise. Merida was leaning against the frame of Elsa's own bedroom door, twirling a wine goblet dexterously in one hand. A lantern by the door provided this hallway's only light source at this time of night.

"Princess Merida," said Elsa, hastily regaining her composure. "I was just thinking about you… about the speech you made over dinner, that is. I found it, um… enlightening. Yeah, that's right, enlightening. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I've just been thinkin'," Merida muttered, staring into the empty goblet. "You ever been to DunBroch?"

"No, I've never left Arendelle," Elsa said in surprise. "And I think if I had ever been to DunBroch it would have been important royal business and we'd have seen each other there."

"Er… right," said Merida, her face flushing red. "Stupid question. Um… shit, this is hard. Er, DunBroch is… it's nice. Y'know. Definitely the most prosperous castle we got over in Scotland. Of course, from the looks of this place, Scotland's pretty primitive these days… you got the works over here in Arendelle."

"Um… thank you?" Elsa said uncertainly.

"Och, anyway…" Merida tossed the goblet to the floor, winced at the sound of its echoing clatter, and rushed over to pick it up before it rolled away, losing her balance a bit as she rapidly stood erect, and seeming to take a moment to locate Elsa again. "What I've been thinkin' is… maybe we could talk about arranging a marriage of convenience to benefit Arendelle and DunBroch both."

"A marriage of convenience?" she repeated, puzzled. "I was under the impression that you were opposed to such a thing."

"Oh, I was," Merida agreed. "Vehemently. But… things change. The suitors that were placed before me just didn't seem worth it. But you… I think _you_ are worth it. Your people can ship arms and technology out to DunBroch and… well, I'm sure there's some way my kingdom can benefit yours in return."

"I'm sure there is," said Elsa. "But I don't quite understand. Why would a marriage be necessary for this arrangement?"

"Wouldn't," Merida said simply. "But I'd like it to happen."

"And… I'm sorry, I must have missed something important… _who_ would be getting married?"

Merida chuckled nervously. "Er… comin' right out and askin', are you? Guess I have to come right out and say it, then. The marriage I had in mind would be between me… and you."

Elsa was too shocked to answer.

"I know it's sudden," Merida said tenderly, slowly walking toward her. "And I know that you don't approve of such haste. But give me a couple of weeks to court you, and I promise you won't be disappointed. The ladies back home, they really like me."

She had stopped walking. Elsa, finding her face far too close to her own, stepped back a bit.

"Er, I mean…" Merida said awkwardly, "I mean, they're always lookin' at me… all admirin', like." She stared at Elsa with unfocused eyes, and began walking toward her again. "Oh, God, you're good-lookin'. So much that it almost hurts. It's hard to look at you and think straight at the same time…"

"This is an unorthodox suggestion, your highness," Elsa said diplomatically. She felt her back hit a wall; her backward retreat from Merida had left her pressed up against the wall opposite her bedroom door.

"I know," Merida admitted. "I know it is. I don't think anything of the kind has ever been done before, with royalty. But I do know that I like you an awful lot." Elsa noted with faint panic that she just kept coming closer. "Might I offer a way to sweeten the deal?" she said.

Merida's lips were parted for a kiss, and she stood on her tiptoes; but at the tallest she could make herself, her lips were roughly level with Elsa's chin, but she held in that position, waiting for Elsa to close the space, less than an inch, between them.

Elsa swallowed nervously. "You've definitely raised a few options I've… never considered for myself." She glanced left and right down the dark hallway; it was completely empty.

"It… couldn't hurt to… try?" Elsa said, flinching at her own words.

"That's what I like to hear," Merida whispered, closing her eyes. "Come on then."

Elsa realized that, on the spots where her hands had touched the wall, there was now a fine layer of ice. She took a single calming breath and snapped her wrists, and the frost vanished, but she remained tensed up, staring apprehensively into Merida's eyes, which she had opened after a few too many seconds of waiting, and tilted her head at Elsa curiously.

"I must be out of my mind," Elsa muttered.

Leaning against the wall as she was, Elsa bent her knees slightly to reach the shorter woman's lips. Merida's response was fierce and passionate, pinning her to the wall as their lips moved around each other. Soon, Merida's tongue was working its way into Elsa's mouth, and Elsa responded by kissing her back, as roughly as she could manage but still restrained by her own nerves.

"Mmm…" Elsa mumbled.

"Mmm," Merida agreed.

Elsa stumbled a bit, dropping down to Merida's height, and Merida took advantage of this to fully gain the leverage of the kiss, her tongue frantically flapping around and their teeth scraping together.

"Mmm," Elsa squeaked. A single tear fell from her eye as she placed her hands on Merida's back and pulled her closer.

In under a minute, their fierce kisses ran out of steam and grew slow and gentle. A minute after that, Elsa placed her hands on Merida's shoulders and gently pushed her away. Merida reflexively tensed against the push, but even though she was substantially stronger than Elsa, she gave in and backed away.

"All right," Elsa said raggedly. "That's enough."

Merida whimpered, her eyes still closed.

"Yes, I know," Elsa said sympathetically. "It doesn't… I want to… but, that's about as far as I'm ready to take it right now…"

Merida's face broke out in a tiny grin, and her eyelids half-opened. Her mouth bore faint traces of Elsa's red lipstick, and even a bit of Elsa's eyeshadow was smeared in the vicinity of one of her own eyes. "All done, are you?" she muttered.

"Yes," Elsa breathed back nervously.

"Your body is tellin' a different story," Merida said in amusement, pointing at Elsa's chest.

Elsa glanced down. Her nipples could be seen clearly, outlined against the fabric of her dress. Immediately, she covered them with one arm.

"You make an intriguing offer, Princess Merida," Elsa said sincerely, using her other hand to edge along the wall. "One that certainly bears some thinking about. I will… get back to you on the matter."

Merida scowled. "Now hang on a minute." She grabbed Elsa by the wrist, pinning her against the wall. "You can't just leave me hanging like that! You wouldn't want me to feel rejected, would you?"

Elsa glared furiously at the hand holding her wrist. "Are you _really_ doing this?" she said dangerously. "Forcibly holding me in place?"

Merida's eyes darted between Elsa's face and her own grasping hand, as if surprised to see it. Her face began turning a vibrant red. "Er… gosh, I suppose I am."

"Let me go, Princess Merida," Elsa growled. She slowly waved her free hand in Merida's face, tiny pointed icicles slowly emerging from her fingertips and pointing toward Merida.

Merida let go immediately. "I'm sorry!" she declared, looking devastated. "I didn't… I didn't mean it like that…"

"Leave me," Elsa commanded, brushing past Merida and entering her bedroom, pointedly slamming the door behind her.

Merida stared glumly at the door for a moment, then wandered away, toward the chambers she was sharing with her mother. Along the way, she crossed paths with a single servant and, in response to the woman's quizzical look, half-heartedly explained, "Didn't do so well, I didn't. Off to a bad start."

~0~0~0~

All of the lamps in the ballroom were lit, and an enormous bed had been brought into the room's exact center. Anna was jumping up and down on this bed, her hair completely unbraided and waist-length, clad in an ankle-length green speckled nightdress. Rapunzel sat at the foot of the bed, her own nightgown lacy, blue, and mostly transparent, doodling with charcoal on a sketchpad. The two were completely alone in the huge empty space.

"So…" Anna said between hops. "I just realized that you're married."

"Really?" Rapunzel said in amusement. "You didn't pick up on that when I introduced my husband?"

"No, I got _that_ …" said Anna. "I just meant I'm only now realizing the implications."

"What implications?"

"Well, for one thing, that you've… slept? With a guy?" Anna bit her lip nervously, watching Rapunzel closely for a response.

Rapunzel stopped her sketching to turn and look at her. "Well, that _is_ what married people do," she said pleasantly.

"What's that like?" Anna breathed.

"Pretty amazing," Rapunzel said dreamily. "So, hey, how about those makeovers?" She gestured to the makeup kit near her feet.

"Now, come on," said Anna, gently stepping off the bed and landing on the floor, her heart pounding in her ears from the exertion. "What's it _really_ like?"

"Like… really?" Rapunzel said nervously.

"Yeah. I want details!" Anna sat down on the floor next to Rapunzel, her wide eyes gazing deeply into her cousin's.

Rapunzel closed the sketchbook and set it and the charcoal aside, giving the question some serious thought. "Well… it starts off pretty scary, the first time," she admitted. "But… after you just let yourself go… just really let it happen, with the man you feel so happy and comfortable with, your mind kind of switches off and it's just pure bliss, like a piece of you that's been missing is back, and it's… pleasure. Pleasure like you never would have believed possible."

She was still for a moment. Through this speech, her eyes hadn't been on Anna but on the floor, and she continued staring there for a few short moments.

"Is it warm in here?" she said casually, grinning at Anna. "I'm getting kinda sweaty." She wiped her brow with her forearm.

"Wow," Anna breathed.

"I've never really thought about putting it into words before," she muttered. "I should probably tell Eugene that's how I feel… I should write it down before I forget…" She fumbled with the sketchbook.

"It was a pretty beautiful, poetic… thing."

"It was just the truth," Rapunzel said, smiling. "Why… why do you ask? I take it you haven't?"

"No," Anna admitted. She slowly stood up and began pacing back and forth. "Shortly after I met Kristoff, I… I learned a pretty hard lesson about, just for example, marrying someone I had just met. And I think I kind of overcompensated. For ten months, I insisted that Kristoff and I should just be friends before I was finally ready to let him into my heart… and we've been courting for another eleven months since then. I haven't seen so much as a hint of an engagement ring and, you know, you date for that long without getting married, you get weird looks, people think you're trying to have it all. But after what happened with… with the fjord… we wanna make sure we know each other really, really well before we get married… but after all this time, I don't know what else we could possibly learn about each other besides what we look like naked! Oh gosh…"

Her hands had begun flapping around wildly as she spoke faster and faster, and at this, she sat down on the edge of the bed, folding her hands in her lap.

"Just thinking about it is giving me anxiety," Anna mumbled. "I just want us to be married already so we can, you know, like, POW! But I think he's taken my need to wait way too seriously. I don't think a proposal is gonna happen anytime soon…"

Rapunzel joined her on the bed, sitting by her side. "Let me bring you in on a little secret," she said gently. "Call it a bit of big sister advice…"

"I already have a big sister," Anna said dully.

"Okay," Rapunzel submitted. "Call it a bit of big _cousin_ advice…"

"We're the same age."

Rapunzel gave her a fish-eyed glare for a brief moment before saying, "Okay. Let me give you advice as a _peer_ then."

"Okay, continue," said Anna.

Rapunzel continued to glare.

"Get on with it, won't you?" said Anna.

Rapunzel chuckled. "Right. Do you know the story of how Eugene and I met?"

"You were imprisoned in a tower by a witch," Anna said quietly. "He rescued you and brought you back to the kingdom."

Rapunzel shrugged. "There's more to it than that, but I guess it's accurate. We'd known each other for only two or three days when we figured out who I was and went to see my mother and father. After that, we courted for eight months before we got married."

"Huh," Anna remarked. "When Kristoff and I celebrated eight months together, I think he gave me an air freshener."

Rapunzel blinked. "…Okay, we'll circle back around to that. My point is this… here's, like, my secret…"

"Okay."

"Before my triumphant and emotional return to the kingdom…" Rapunzel said uneasily, "we… that is, Eugene and I… we were in that tower… we knew that I could at last leave safely and no one could stop me… I'd just picked up this cute pixie-cut that I'm still rocking…" She grinned sheepishly at Anna. "Any chance you know where I'm going with this and I don't have to finish?"

Anna shook her head. "No clue."

"Okay," said Rapunzel, releasing a puff of air from the corner of her mouth. "Uh, yeah, so it was like this: before we even left the tower, day three of knowing each other, we kind of totally did it."

"You didn't," Anna gasped.

"We did," Rapunzel said grimly. "It was a very intense moment. We couldn't believe that we were both alive and free. So, we just couldn't stop ourselves. First we had our first kiss, and then eight minutes later we were naked and exhausted on the rug surrounded by the endless loops of what used to be my magic hair. And it wouldn't be the last time our emotions got the better of us. Our wedding night was maybe the fifth or sixth time we actually had sex." She leaned forward to get a better look at Anna's face; she was staring off into space, expressionless. "You look scandalized," Rapunzel noted.

"Little bit," Anna peeped.

"Well… what I'm saying is…" Rapunzel muttered, running her fingers through her short hair, "you might _want_ to learn that one last thing about Kristoff before you marry him. You probably want to discover how compatible you are in the bedroom."

"What do you mean?" Anna said nervously.

"Well, it's like… and this is gonna sound kind of shallow, but stick with me… what if you marry him, and he's really bad in bed?" Rapunzel said seriously. "Pleasure is so important in a marriage, and the wedding night is supposed to be a magical time, but what if he's just no good at it?"

"I _have_ wondered about that," Anna admitted. After some thought, she said, "He smells a lot better than he used to. That's a good sign, right?"

"It's a start," Rapunzel agreed.

"So what you're saying," Anna said delicately, "is that before we get married, we should make sure we're compatible and, like, competent."

"Exactly."

"So I should sleep with him before we get married," said Anna. "You're saying I should sleep with Kristoff _now_ , not wait until we're married."

"Well, gosh, when you put it that way you make me sound like a bad influence," Rapunzel chuckled.

"Uh-huh," Anna said numbly. "And now that I've said it out loud, I think I'm having a panic attack." She tucked her hands and knees in close to her chest.

"Oh!" Rapunzel said in alarm. "Um… take it easy. I've got you." She rubbed Anna's back comfortingly. "I'm not saying it's something you _should_ do, I would never tell you what you 'should' do. It's just my opinion."

Anna rocked back and forth. "Well… I like your opinion," she peeped uneasily. "I think you're right… I think I should…"

"How about this," Rapunzel said, on sudden inspiration. "I'll arrange to stay for a little bit longer than we planned, maybe a couple of months, and I'll kind of coach you through it. You and Kristoff will get a few chances at sleeping together—just a few—so your wedding night can be as glorious as it's supposed to be."

"O-okay," Anna muttered. "Thanks, cousin." Slowly, she disentangled her own limbs, relaxing. "Yeah, I… I can do this. It can't be that difficult."

"I know it's a scary thought…" Rapunzel began gently.

"No," Anna said simply. "No, not really. We're not as annoyingly chaste as I made us sound. It's not like we think walking around holding hands is a hot date. Sometimes I'll slip him the tongue, or he'll 'accidentally' cop a feel… all very momentary, but we laugh about it, and it's nice… and I very much _want_ to… to… yeah. But he's, like… if he's had any thoughts about taking our relationship to the next level, in one way"—she pointed to her ring finger—"or the other"—she did a sexy hip sway—"he hasn't given me any signs of it."

"And you've had those thoughts?" Rapunzel said quietly.

"So many thoughts," Anna breathed.

"Then he _must_ have had them too," Rapunzel reassured her. "Maybe he's just waiting for _you_ to express them."

"I've been waiting for _him_ to express them."

"You see the problem," said Rapunzel, mock-grimly.

"Right," Anna said seriously. "I've got to knuckle down and be the one to tell him… we're gonna have sex."

Rapunzel laughed. "Maybe not in so many words. It's a bit forward."

"Sorry," said Anna. "I'm kind of new to this…"

"No worries," said Rapunzel. "So, let's figure out how we're going to arrange this. When's your time of the month?"

"Um… every month," Anna said blankly.

"When's your _next_ one, Anna?"

"Oh. Uh, soon? I think? Should be right around the corner. Around this time next week, maybe?"

"Okay, that's perfect," said Rapunzel. "Gives us some time to prepare, but not so much that we have to fret about waiting."

"I don't follow," said Anna.

"Well, we need to time it right so you don't get pregnant, don't we?" Rapunzel said cheerfully.

"Ohhhhh, right," Anna realized. "How do we do that?"

"It's safest the last couple of days before your period starts," Rapunzel explained. "Very unlikely to get pregnant at that time."

"…But that's not perfect, is it?" Anna said worriedly, wringing her hands. "I thought the only way to prevent getting pregnant is to…"

"Is to not have sex at all, yes," Rapunzel confirmed. "That's true, timing it to your 'safe days' isn't perfect. But… look… I'm sure that he's going to be very good in bed once you guys get a little bit of practice, and if he's not, I'll help you _make_ him good. That's what this whole exercise is all about, after all: making you guys good in bed before your wedding night. Now, he loves you, and you love him, so I know that you'll both put your whole hearts into it. And the worst thing that can happen if you get pregnant is that you'll have to get married right away. And sure, the whole kingdom will notice that you'll have your baby seven months after your wedding, and they'll be all ha-ha about it, but people don't _really_ care about that sort of thing, as long as you _do_ get married."

"Society is so confusing," Anna grumbled.

"I know," said Rapunzel. "Some things just _are_." She casually slipped off the bed and eyed her sketchbook and makeup kit. "Well, this quickly shifted gears from a little-kid sleepover to a… mid-to-late teens sleepover."

"Well, we _are_ in our late teens," Anna said brightly, sliding down to the floor with her.

"Yeah, that's true," said Rapunzel. "That's true! I'm not twenty until May. I might as well enjoy this while I can still do it with dignity."

"July for me," said Anna. "Maybe we can visit each other for our birthdays."

"That would be delightful," said Rapunzel. "I wish there was a faster way to get around than by ship…"

"Yeah," Anna said wistfully. "Sadly, that's probably as fast as travel will ever be." She dramatically whipped out a file, holding it up high. "So… pedi?"

"A pedi?" Rapunzel said apprehensively. "Well, if I was twenty, I would say no way, that's completely immature, no I'm not gonna let my cousin give me a pedicure at a sleepover, that's just ridiculous. But I'm a teenager, so I say… fuck yeah!"

Anna shrieked in surprise, and the both of them doubled over in laughter.

"Oh my God…" Rapunzel choked out through her laughing. "I've never said that word before in my life…"

"Neither have I!" Anna said wildly. "I couldn't! I don't think I ever will. It's just too… wow!"

A guard opened the door to the ballroom. "Princess Anna?" he said urgently. "Is everything…? I thought I heard you scream."

Anna shook her head. "Rapunzel said a bad word," she told him in a stage whisper. She and Rapunzel collapsed into giggles again. The guard, shaking his head in amused exasperation, left them to it, closing the door again.

"I'm like… well, you know, if you haven't noticed already, I'm pretty much just a little kid at heart," said Anna, brushing a tear out of her eye. "Like, a _real_ little kid. You know what I mean? I do _not_ curse, I really just don't… anyway, gimme your foot."

Rapunzel hauled herself back onto the bed and presented one of her feet to Anna.

Anna gawked at it. "…What the hell am I looking at?"

"Oh… right. Sorry," said Rapunzel, grinning nervously. "I don't wear shoes. I keep forgetting that now that I've lost my powers they don't stay all cute and pristine all the time. They actually get dirt and calluses on them now. My bad. …I also forget to bathe. Often. My magic hair turned out to be more practical than I ever could have guessed before I lost it." She brightened. "But hey, you know, that's what you're here for! Clean 'em up."

Anna scoffed and began working on Rapunzel's foot. "I didn't think it was gonna be _work_ …"

"Just do my feet, peasant."

"Fine, but only because I like you."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Special thanks to my fiancée for providing me an answer to the question of "What's it like?" I usually feel like I have the empathy to express anything a character has on their mind, but on this occasion I felt that I couldn't make the moment genuine by myself. So, I figured, if I want to know what a woman would say if asked what it's like to sleep with a man, I might as well turn to the woman _I'm_ sleeping with.

Sorry, that just still amazes me so much that I can't help bragging about it. If you knew me, you'd understand. I have a fiancée. Me. It's frickin' weird.

Anyway, another thing I found I didn't know when writing this scene was, unbelievably, exactly how the menstrual cycle works. That kinda took me by surprise, 'cause that's something that everybody really ought to know, don't you think? So I researched it, and then stripped it of all the particulars that sound like 1840s science wouldn't know, and turned what was left into the info that Rapunzel shares here and later. Not that I have any idea exactly what 1840s science would and would not know. I'm assuming it's not a whole lot, but what do I know?

Buuut, with the subject of menstrual cycles having been broached, I knew that I'd have to do what I'd never done in a story before, and that's keep track of all the main characters' cycles. Why? Well, I'd already decided that every chapter would tell you exactly how many days it's been since the story started, so there's that, and here we are on Day 1 and we already know that Anna's motivation requires knowing when her cycle is… ergo, several future plot points had to take place on the proper day, and I figured if I was gonna monitor Anna, I might as well do the same for all the rest, assigning random days for them to start and then making it consistent for many in-story months to follow. From there, the opposite started happening: knowing that certain characters are either on their period or ovulating during certain events in the story opened the door for some interesting moments, jokes, and even plot elements. Ultimately, my goal is realism. So few stories acknowledge just what a big deal the cycle is in a woman's life. Figured I'd do my part to change that.


	5. Day 2, Part 1

**AN:** All right, I've committed to the notion of having some sort of insight at the beginning and the end of _every_ chapter, but… I don't always have one prepared, so occasionally, like right now, I'll have to come up with one mere minutes before posting the chapter. So, here goes. Here's my first spontaneously-generated Author's Note…

Hi. :D

 **Day 2, Part 1**

Still in their pajamas, their hair hopelessly mussed, still wearing the ridiculous makeup from the previous night's makeovers, Anna and Rapunzel walked side by side down a castle corridor, the faint traces of a sunrise visible through a window.

"Well, here's me," said Anna, indicating her bedroom door. "Ah… my room, that is. And yours is… over here somewhere." She gestured vaguely. "So… we'll meet up again after we get dressed."

"I guess we will," said Rapunzel, staring down at her feet.

Anna took a deep breath, but made no move to enter her room.

"Are you gonna…?" Rapunzel began, gesturing to the door with her head.

"Yeah," Anna mumbled. She grinned awkwardly. "I _would_ , but… I don't want to leave your company! I like your company."

Rapunzel laughed. "Me too, cousin, but we'll have a lot more opportunity for each other's company after we're fully clothed. So let's get that done."

"Yes, let's," Anna agreed.

They hesitated for a moment, then simultaneously darted forward to hug each other before parting ways.

~0~0~0~

In another corridor, on a lower level of the castle, Merida adjusted the pale pink, ribbon-covered dress she had just acquired, and struggled to form facial expressions beneath the overly-thick layer of makeup she was wearing.

She froze for a moment as she heard what she had been waiting for, and formed herself into a formal pose, her back straight, hands clasped in front of her, head lowered. Her eyes drifted up the hall, and she could see her target: Elsa approaching. To her surprise, Elsa appeared to be skipping, a book clutched in her hands, and, Merida realized a second later with many flips of her stomach, singing.

" _Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen_ … _eleka nahmen nahmen ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen_ …"

Merida backed away, pressing her back flat against a wall, biting her lip eagerly. A moment later, a narrow sheet of ice spread outward, stopping almost directly in front of her. It was just barely wide enough for a single person to slide upon, and sure enough Elsa came sliding down the hall on it, holding the book as though it was the neck of a guitar, plucking its imaginary strings in front of her abdomen.

" _No good deed goes unpunished_ …" she sang passionately. She opened her eyes, realized Merida was there, and almost slipped, hastily turning away from Merida and clutching the book tightly to her chest. "Hello, Princess Merida," she said stiffly. "Didn't see you there."

"Hi," Merida replied.

There was silence. Merida kept her gaze firmly on the back of Elsa's head as Elsa refused to turn back and look at her.

"I don't suppose there's any point in me apologizing for last night?" Merida finally said.

"Of course there's a point," Elsa replied softly.

"Then I do. I'm sorry, your majesty. I was overzealous and, well… sloshed. I take full responsibility."

"I… forgive you."

Relieved, Merida stared down at her hands, wringing them. "I'm…" she said after another moment of silence. "Lest you take it as the oddball impulses of a drunkard, I really am interested in courtin' you."

Elsa beamed and turned around, though her eyes were squarely on the wall several feet to Merida's left rather than looking directly at her. "Good," she said. "Because… I'm still thinking about it."

Merida bowed. "That's better than I deserve. What's that you were singing?"

"It's… it's from this," said Elsa, tapping the thick book, which was bound in vivid green leather. "I brought this out last night after we…" She let that hang and cleared her throat. "It's my favorite book. The story of a misunderstood witch who's really not wicked at all, she's just green… but she still gets blamed for all the kingdom's problems." She stared at the book for a moment, before shaking her head to clear it. "I mean, the song isn't in the book, obviously, but there was a run of the stage musical adaptation of the book at a local theatre here a few months ago. It played for two weeks and I went to see every single performance. The musical is better. Less depressing, to put it mildly. But the book is… is still good."

Merida smiled. "From the scattering of notes that I heard, sounds like you could be the lead in that musical."

Elsa grinned as well. "That would certainly be interesting. I know it by heart! Except… except for the parts that I don't… and those parts kinda drive me crazy."

"I can imagine," Merida said grimly.

"I need to find a way to see the musical again so I can fill the gaps in my memory," said Elsa, staring off into space and relishing the thought.

They said nothing for a time. Merida waited for Elsa to say something, or to even look at her, but neither happened.

"I can see why you'd be fond of the story of a misunderstood witch," she finally said.

"I, uh… well… yes, I relate to the story very much," said Elsa, rocking side to side on her feet, somewhat embarrassed. "It's something of a glimpse at what I could have become. Fortunately, my decision was to run and hide forever, instead of to become evil. Didn't really have enough going on in my life to want to be evil… sad to say, I didn't really have the strength of character, either… not then. It takes guts to be evil."

Merida had no response.

"But you…" said Elsa, her voice suddenly higher and distinctly playful, as she walked sideways toward Merida, still resolutely looking anywhere but at her, placing the palm of her hand on the other woman's chest, and gently sliding down to her stomach before breaking off the contact. "You've got the guts. Merida the Brave, they call you."

"Nobody calls me that," Merida said blankly.

"Well… maybe not where you live, but it gets thrown around a lot elsewhere in the world, from what I can tell. We've all got a name for ourselves, it's something of a pitfall of being royalty, that people all over Europe know our names and deeds, or at least they hear tales that grow in the telling. The Snow Queen and her heroic kid sister whose love saved the day… it wasn't much fun to experience it, but I love the stories told by people not entirely in the know. They're fun. The lost princess with the magic hair? Great story. A satisfying conclusion to spending most of my life hearing of the tragedy of her disappearance. And then there's you! The story of a rebellious princess, and not always a story that makes you sound favorable. Some retellings pass over 'rebellious' and paint you as downright insurrectionist! Heh… don't feel bad about that, though. Plenty of the rumors continue to believe that the Snow Queen was evil. Yup… you and I, we would have made a couple of pretty good villains, had things gone a bit differently."

As Elsa spoke, she walked a circle around Merida twice, one hand always on the princess, caressing her shoulders, arms, back, and chest, a tiny trail of lovely blue ice constantly streaming from a single fingertip. After her second circle, she walked back to where she had been standing at the end of the thin ice sheet, all without looking at Merida once.

Merida was bewildered, but slowly her face broke out in hope and excitement. "Queen Elsa… are you flirting with me?"

Elsa winced, and sat down on a stone bench on the corridor's opposite wall, her legs shaking, her eyes fixed solidly on her shoes. "I honestly don't know," she said. "I certainly don't normally confide this much in new acquaintances. Then again, I don't usually make out with visiting dignitaries, so… I guess the rules don't apply, I guess you and I are doing things a little bit differently."

"Yikes," Merida said, biting her lip. "That wasn't your first kiss ever, was it?"

Elsa nodded.

"I'm real sorry, your majesty," she said, wincing. "You deserved a bit more tenderness and a lot less wine in your first kiss, I'm thinkin'."

"It's fine," Elsa said softly. "I don't… it didn't bother me."

Merida slowly crossed the hall to stand near Elsa, her arms clasped behind her back, rolling forward on the balls of her feet eagerly. "So, you're a theatre buff, then?"

"Well, kind of," said Elsa. "Being a theatre buff is harder than being a literature buff. Anyone can pick up a book, but theatre… you kind of have to restrict yourself to what you've actually seen, what's playing in your area, and then it's kind of gone forever…"

"Mm-hmm," said Merida, nodding. "Closest thing to a play I've ever seen are reenactments of hunting trips my dad's gone on."

"I do like books, though," said Elsa, staring hard at the cover of her book. "Books are like friends for people who don't want or can't get friends. Of course, people who _do_ have friends should still read books. And… and people who like books should probably still make friends. Both are vital parts of the human experience, I think…" By the end of that, her speech had degraded into squeaky, barely-comprehensible mumbling.

Merida grinned. "You're rambling a bit, your majesty. I got up to a bit of that last night…"

"You did indeed."

"It's because you made me nervous." Merida sat down next to Elsa, squeezing as close to her as she possibly could, their hips rubbing against each other's. "Do I make you nervous?"

"I've…" Elsa lifted her head to look Merida in the face for the first time. "Jesus Christ, you're wearing a lot of makeup."

Merida cringed. "Hrmm. Not the reaction I was going for. Is it too much?"

"A bit, yeah," Elsa said dryly. "And your dress… that's in the local style. Where did you get it?"

"Bought it in town, real early this morning."

"…Why?"

"Well, if I'm going to be a legitimate suitor for you, presentation is important," said Merida, smoothing out the frilly dress. "I tried to prettify myself as much as I could without playing the 'someone I'm not' angle—what do you think?"

"It's not a very good look for you," Elsa said bluntly. "But the gesture is appreciated, and noted, and you definitely get points for it. But I liked you better before."

"What's wrong with it?" Merida wondered.

"Too much pink," said Elsa. "Clashes horribly with your hair. I don't know much about fashion in general, but I do have an eye for personal style, and this… this is not yours. Maybe instead of pink you could try lavender? That might work better."

"Got it, got it," Merida said thoughtfully. She smiled at Elsa, and ran her hand along the queen's lower back, wrapping an arm around her waist. "So, I get points? How many points we talkin'? How many do I need?"

"There's no _actual_ numerical point value, Merida," said Elsa, calmly removing Merida's hand. "It's just… look, I'll just know when I know. I will _tell_ you when I've decided either way. I need to thoroughly consider the matter."

"What can I do to help you with that?" Merida said eagerly.

"You can start by backing off a little bit."

Merida promptly slid to the other end of the bench.

"Not that much," Elsa said hurriedly. "Just… outside of my personal space."

Merida slid back to her, stopping about eight inches away.

"Yes, that's good," Elsa said, nodding. "Look… I'm not completely naïve, I know you spoke of a marriage of convenience, but I can tell that this is a matter of the heart for you. So I've been trying to look at it that way as well. And my heart is largely in favor of this, but in my mind I know there are certain logical considerations that need to be made…"

"Such as?" Merida prompted, leaning closer.

Elsa gazed at her, plaintive and pleading. "Can you really be sure that I'm what you're looking for in a wife?"

"My heart says yes," Merida said without an instant of hesitation.

"And your mind can't know because we've only just met," Elsa countered pointedly.

Merida leaned back against the wall, kicking her feet out. "I have no desire to rush into marriage, Queen Elsa," she said quietly. "I just refuse to be evasive about where I hope a courtship will lead. That's where courtship is _supposed_ to lead: marriage. Why must everyone tiptoe around that simple fact?"

"Okay, fair enough," said Elsa, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "You're right… you show a kind of honesty that's undervalued in these situations. I appreciate that. If you're going to shoot straight, so will I. I _do_ find you… a-attractive."

Merida's face lit up.

"Ever since you mentioned your… your orientation," Elsa continued, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. When you approached me offering your hand, I had already been thinking about… about things I would ask you, ways that I would… see, I've always… suspected… but the truth is, I still don't know, Merida. I don't know if _my_ orientation is… is one that you should expect and deserve from the woman you wish to marry."

Merida put a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "I think the way you kissed me last night answers all questions about your orientation."

"That was really more _you_ kissing _me_."

"Come on. You had a reaction. You were definitely aroused."

"Of course I had a reaction," Elsa said sharply, narrowly stopping herself from snapping. "No one's _ever_ kissed me like that before. It doesn't mean I'm attracted to you or any other woman. It just means I… have no experience with such things. I kissed you back because I was curious, but… that wasn't enough. I still need to find real answers."

~0~0~0~

Anna emerged from her room, her hair combed and braided, her makeup less ridiculous, and clad in a pale forest-green dress with baggy sleeves, a dark green bodice, and some murky gold stitching. She adjusted her hair absently, her eyes on the floor, and looked up to see Rapunzel waiting for her.

Anna's eyes widened in surprise; Rapunzel's dress was simple and tight, in the peasant style that she usually favored, but it had a pale green skirt, dark green bodice, and gold stitching, nearly identical to Anna's. Anna could see that Rapunzel was noticing this as well and taking a great interest in it.

"Oh my God, we're twinsies!" Anna gasped in delight.

Rapunzel doubled over with hysterical laughter.

"What?" Anna said blankly.

With one hand, Rapunzel was clutching her heaving stomach, and pounding on her knee with her other fist, trying to keep her laughter under control.

"Well, come on, it wasn't that funny," Anna muttered.

Rapunzel shook her head, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"Okay, now I'm beginning to think you're laughing _at_ me," said Anna, "and it's kinda hurting my feelings. Just saying."

"I'm sorry," Rapunzel choked out, slowly regaining her breath and standing upright. "It's just… you are _so_ cute. I can't even…"

"Can't even what?"

"I just can't even," Rapunzel said, shaking her head in amazement, still grinning broadly. "Anna… can I say something crazy?"

Anna's expression went blank, and her posture went more on the defensive than before. "I've been asked that before," she said calmly. "Tread carefully."

"Okay," Rapunzel whispered, catching on to the weight of Anna's warning. She stepped forward, and took one of Anna's hands in both of hers. "Cousin, is it… is it too early to say that I love you?"

Anna reflexively attempted to pull her hand away, but stopped herself, and placed her other hand atop Rapunzel's. "Normally, I'd say yes," she said. "I know a thing or two about throwing the L-word around too early, especially with someone I've always hoped to meet… but this is different. We're family, and… I've been thinking the same thing since last night. So, no, it's not too early at all. I love you too, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel slipped out of their held hands and hugged Anna tightly. Anna responded by hugging her even tighter, and they spent several seconds taking it in turns to competitively increase the tightness of the hug.

Finally, when it seemed they'd squeezed the air out of each other, they parted and stared into each other's eyes.

"So… what are we gonna do today?" Rapunzel asked with a shy smile.

"I don't even care," Anna said tenderly. "I just want to be with you." She reached a hand out to Rapunzel, a loosely-clenched fist with an extended pinkie. "Twinsies," she stated.

Rapunzel grinned and held up her own hand, interlacing her pinkie with Anna's. "Twinsies," she agreed.

~0~0~0~

"We've spoken of the heart and the mind," Merida said earnestly, leaning close. "What does your body tell you?"

Elsa edged away uncomfortably, nearly tumbling off the bench. "That's… that's none of your damn business."

"I can teach you things, Elsa," Merida whispered, coming still closer. "I've done it before. There's much that I can offer your body. Wouldn't be appropriate to show you now, of course, but if we married…"

"I kind of have this _thing_ about agreeing to marry someone I've just met, all right?" Elsa said tensely, her teeth gritted. "It's the principle of the thing. If nothing else, my sister would sucker-punch me for betraying those principles. They're kind of a big deal to us."

"Well…" Merida said desperately, thrown off-guard and trying to recover. "Yes, love should be given time to bloom. But if it was political… we spoke last night of convenience, benefits for our kingdoms…"

"It's still a marriage that dictates the rest of our lives. It can't just be a snap decision." Elsa looked her over suspiciously. "That was quite the sharp turn you made just there. You're just like all the others. You just _happen_ to be a woman, that's the only difference." She stood up and began pacing back and forth. "You vaguely suggest your kingdom can benefit from mine, when that doesn't swing me you claim to desire me, and when I don't go for that you swing back around to politics. Sort of inconsistent, aren't you? You'll just say whatever it is you think you need to say to get me on your side. I know your type… all too well, I'm afraid."

Merida hung her head in shame. "I admit, your majesty, that I speak from a place of passion, not reason. So, yes, I might be a little bit inconsistent. The point is that I want very much to know you and be yours, in whatever form that may take." She meekly held out her hand to Elsa.

Elsa batted the hand away. "I fear your passion may be impure," she spat.

"Pure as the driven snow, your majesty," said Merida. She grinned. "And if anyone, you'd know a thing or two about snow, wouldn't ya?"

Elsa rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Your sister told me you've turned away every suitor that ever tried for your hand," said Merida seriously.

"Because," Elsa replied, "they were all nothing more than shifty opportunists from pathetic, tiny kingdoms that couldn't benefit Arendelle in the slightest, just looking to improve their own standing by using my prosperous nation. Could be seen through like glass. That doesn't mean that I like women, though trust me, you're not the first person to suggest that. Men don't take rejection well." She turned back to Merida, glaring at her harshly. "And, well, I've yet to see a reason to think a DunBroch marriage would go any differently. How _can_ your kingdom benefit mine? You didn't have an answer to that before."

"Arendelle gets… me," said Merida, a pleading tone creeping into her voice. "On the throne beside you. And in your bed, every night, forever."

Something that looked an awful lot like longing flitted across Elsa's glaring eyes, but in another instant it was gone, and her anger was swiftly replaced by confusion.

"Wow," Merida breathed. "That almost convinced you there."

"It really almost did," Elsa said quietly.

"You keep saying that things don't mean that you don't like women," said Merida, regaining the confidence that had faltered, "but let me ask you this… have you ever been attracted to men? Any man at all that you can think of?"

Elsa thought about it, but not for very long. "No," she said plainly. "I really haven't."

She sat back down on the bench beside Merida, and they sat in silence for a moment.

"Look, I get it," Elsa said dully. "I don't know much about people and their feelings, but I'm definitely picking up that you're not just doing this for power or your country. I apologize for saying so. You really do like me, don't you?"

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Merida said sincerely. "And so poised. Sharp and clever. Plus, you're a big sister, I'm a big sister… and you're a pretty darn good one from what I can tell. I connect with that." Her mind raced for a moment, then she shrugged. "Yeah, that's all I've got. We _have_ only known each other since yesterday. I just know that from what I _do_ know about you I really, really want to marry you."

"I think you're a beautiful woman too, Merida," said Elsa in a pained voice. "Your proposal is very tempting, even if I don't yet know if I _can_ love a woman that way."

Elsa gently touched Merida's hand, and after a moment of hesitation, interlaced their fingers together. They sat there in this manner for a period of time, in silence, while Elsa visibly grew more and more disconcerted. Eventually, Merida slid her hand out of Elsa's and instead wrapped that arm comfortingly around Elsa's shoulders, holding her close.

" _Can_ we, Merida?" Elsa said nervously. "Would your parents really want anything to do with a kingdom if you married the _female_ monarch of that kingdom?"

"Oh, aye," Merida said brightly. "In fact, it was my mum's idea."

"That's very encouraging," Elsa admitted. "I wonder what _my_ parents would say if they knew I was… even thinking about it…"

"Family _have_ been known to very abruptly stop loving their children over things like this," Merida said darkly.

"Yes. I've heard of many such instances. It's terrible."

"Heartbreaking tales all around. But you don't have anything to worry about on my family's end of it. My parents still adore me. My dad is relieved he never has to see me with a man, and all my mum wants is for me to settle down and marry a wonderful woman."

Elsa buried her face in her hands. "Ugh, I don't _know_!" she cried. "I definitely can't marry you _yet_ , Merida. We would have to court and get to know each other very, very well first."

"Done," Merida said simply. "Done and done."

"And _before_ we started courting, we'd still have a lot of things to consider," Elsa went on. "There's what the public would think of our courtship, and whether I even _like_ women, and… ugh!" She pressed her hands more firmly against her face, unleashing a muffled, piercing shriek.

"Elsa?" Merida said nervously.

"Ugh," Elsa grumbled, deadpan now. "Last time my psyche was in this much turmoil, I froze the whole nation."

Merida looked around. "Well, nothing's freezing right now, so… definite improvement."

Elsa slowly lowered her hands and gently pushed Merida, who took the hint and slid away a bit, removing her arm from Elsa's shoulders. Elsa straightened her back, no longer slouching.

"I suppose I should thank you for expanding my mind," she said breezily, "sending me down pathways of my consciousness I didn't know that I had."

"Hehe, I do that to lots of girls," Merida chuckled.

Elsa glared at her. "Okay, see, that's another thing, you keep saying that. What does that mean?"

Merida grinned sheepishly. "Back at DunBroch, I kind of… I kind of got around. For the past year, I haven't done much with my life besides takin' other young women to bed with me. Dozens of 'em, truth be told. But, ah, if I was married, I would certainly do no such thing…"

Under the force of Elsa's vicious raised eyebrow, Merida flinched away meekly. "I'm a good person, I swear," she said with a pitiful attempt at a smile.

"There's a teeny-tiny bruise on my wrist that begs to differ," said Elsa, raising her arm to display it. "Buuut… the rest of me is still crazy and curious enough to take a chance on you."

Merida beamed and went in for a kiss, which Elsa quickly deflected by placing a single finger on her lips and gently pushing her away.

"Not again," Elsa said kindly. "Not yet. We've agreed that we're attracted to each other, let's… think about other reasons we might want to…" She quickly lost the thread of her thought when Merida stuck out her lower lip in a pout and accompanied it with seductive, heavy-lidded bedroom eyes. "Well, you know what I mean," Elsa finished lamely, her face flushing. "I've just gotta think about this."

"I can help you think about reasons," Merida offered.

"There's really no need…"

"But I must, your majesty," Merida said, licking her lips and leaning closer and closer to Elsa's face. "I can't leave you to grapple with this issue on your own…"

"It's fine, really…"

"I must insist."

" _Princess_ Merida!" Elsa hissed, showing her bruised wrist once again. "You're getting a bit pushy again. Am I going to have to defend myself?"

"No, your majesty," Merida said hastily, backing away and bowing her head. "I'm sorry."

"You are forgiven," Elsa said coolly. "Again."

Merida sighed. "Well, I'm not a fool, Queen Elsa, I know when I've blown more chances than I deserved. I'll leave you to your book." She stood up and began to walk away.

"Princess Merida…" Elsa called after her. "Please don't give up on me. As clumsy and hasty as this 'courtship' as been, it's… not entirely without merit. I can appreciate that your heart is in the right place."

Merida turned back to her and bowed. "Thank you, your majesty."

"If I asked you to leave me alone for a few days so I could think about this on my own, would you do it?" Elsa asked.

"I—"

"I _don't_ need your help thinking about it," Elsa said pointedly.

"I… yes, your majesty, I would," Merida mumbled, wringing her hair shyly. "I… I respect you, you know."

"Good," Elsa said kindly. "Thank you. We will speak again when I've reached a decision. A decision you will honor even if it does not favor you, just as I would honor it if you decided against the courtship, because… that is how courtship works."

"Of course, Queen Elsa," said Merida. She shuffled awkwardly on her feet for a moment, before dipping into a genuine curtsy for what appeared to be the first time in her life, and walking off down the corridor, momentarily skidding on the narrow ice strip as she did so.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Yes, I'm well aware that _Wicked_ isn't nearly old enough to be making an appearance. I just figured if I was gonna be anachronistic, I might as well go _all the way_ with it. Elsa's favorite book being _Wicked_ is merely the tip of the iceberg, my friends. Just you wait. It's gonna be, like, a motif. Anachronisms, I mean, not _Wicked_. Though _Wicked_ is a little bit of a motif too, I guess, sure.

Also, no, I've never actually read or seen _Wicked_ , so, for all I know everything said about it is entirely wrong. But the ideas I had for ways to weave it into the story were so good I had to take the gamble.


	6. Day 2, Part 2

**AN:** Let me talk a bit about why I decided to choose the 1840s as the fic's setting, upon learning what time period each film takes place in. _Frozen_ 's setting is closer to the present day than I would have thought, maybe even more so than I'd have _liked_. We're all accustomed to much more medieval settings in our Disney Princess films; this one's the third-most recent time period in the Disney Princess oeuvre, beaten only by _The Princess and the Frog_ 's 1920s and _Cinderella_ 's 1870s. (Yes, despite knowing what I know, I think that on the matter of Disney Princess films or characters, I will always have Anna, Elsa, and _Frozen_ in my head as belonging to that category, as will everyone else, I'm sure. Just one of those things.)

 _Frozen_ is the axis on which this world turns, pretty much. The centroid of the mechanism, if you will. Most of the story will be set in Arendelle, and Elsa and Anna will be taking the lead as far as story and character. It just seemed natural that way, so in turn it only seemed natural that _Frozen_ would contribute to the fic's time period as well. It should take the lead… even if _Tangled_ , _Brave_ , and _Moana_ are all probably better movies than _Frozen_ , one can't deny _Frozen_ 's influence. It just seemed only obvious and natural that this be a _Frozen_ fic at heart.

And I could have just made it the 1600s or something just because, it's not as if anybody today can really tell the difference between such a two-century gap… but no, _Frozen_ , due to its popularity, has a bit more canonical information to work with than other films do, and so I am working with it, saying that _Frozen_ was set in the exact year that canon says it was. The other films don't have anything _close_ to an exact year anyway.

 **Day 2, Part 2**

Rapunzel and Anna sat alone at the dining table, sunlight streaming in through the window as the two of them pored over a calendar.

"Come on, Anna, you're nineteen years old," said Rapunzel, with the faint air of losing patience. "You've been going through this process non-stop for, what, six years now, and you never learned how to prepare for it?"

"Three, actually," Anna admitted. "Kind of a late bloomer. And, uh, no… I'm way too scatterbrained to prepare for anything… no matter how often it happens."

"I guess that's fair," Rapunzel muttered. "Maybe the only reason I've always monitored mine so carefully is that I didn't have anything better to do. Just knocking around in my tower all the time… yeah, I started tracking my cycle when I got bored and had run out of other ways to kill time. I also charted the stars. As in… all of them."

"Wow," Anna remarked.

"At least Gothel had the decency to warn me it was gonna happen when I was younger… before it did," Rapunzel went on, her voice still soft and bitter. "Otherwise I would have freaked out. Nice to know she was honest about some things."

Anna tilted her head. "You sound so… confused… when you talk about Gothel."

Rapunzel shrugged. "I spent eighteen years thinking she was my loving mother. That's not an easy thing to forget. And there were times when she really delivered… just tricks, all of it, but it's hard to let that kind of thing just… _go_."

She was blank and silent for several seconds. Anna shifted uncomfortably, having no idea what she should say. Finally, Rapunzel let out a long, loud sigh and went back to staring at the calendar.

"Um…" Anna offered, desperately attempting to resume the conversation. "I notice you've been going barefoot since you got here. Why's that?"

"I don't wear shoes."

"Why not?"

"I just don't." She tapped the calendar. "Come on, Anna, this is important. When's the last time you were bleeding?"

Anna screwed up her face in concentration. "Ugh, I don't know! I don't pay attention to things."

"Try to think of what was going on during those days," Rapunzel urged. "What were you doing when it started? How did it interfere in your daily activities? There must be some significant date you can attach to it."

Anna rested her chin on her hand, covering her mouth as she pondered. Finally, she said, "Chocolate."

"Ah, periods and chocolate," Rapunzel said dreamily. "Two things that go together like… like some other bad thing and the good thing that makes it better."

"Wow," said Anna. "That's like the worst simile I've ever heard."

"Well, there's really nothing else you can compare that relationship to," Rapunzel said, grinning. "Nice big giant slab of chocolate when you're weepy and crampy… it's like seeing Jesus. So, how does that help us narrow down the date? I would assume _most_ periods involve chocolate, at least when you're fortunate enough to be a princess with the resources to find and afford it…"

"No, no, we're onto something," said Anna, pulling the calendar from her and looking over the month of February. "A huge crate of chocolate is delivered to the castle on the first Saturday of every month."

"You get fresh chocolate delivered every month?" said Rapunzel, seeming almost appalled. "By the _crate?_ How do you manage that? That stuff is really rare! I have to stockpile and ration mine carefully if I'm set on having some every month…"

"Oh, we're _really good_ customers," Anna said smugly. "So, the delivery would have been… the sixth. And… let's see. I'm thinking of last month, right? Not the month before? No, this was definitely February… because, yeah, I remember now, the January delivery lasted a while. But when the February delivery came… I was bouncing off the walls that day because, on a whim, I ate the entire crate single-handedly."

"Wow," said Rapunzel, intrigued. "So, you would have been on your period then?"

"Unfortunately, no," Anna said regretfully. "It came the next day. I needed chocolate, but I couldn't get any… because I'd already eaten it all."

Rapunzel shuddered. "Ooh, you poor thing. My goodness, on your period _and_ having binge-eaten chocolate the previous day? That sounds like…"

"A tummyache of truly apocalyptic proportions," Anna said solemnly. "And it was cold that week. My God, was it cold."

"Eek," said Rapunzel, wincing. "Well, I'm glad to hear you survived that. So, for our calculations, this means…"

"My last cycle started on Sunday the seventh," Anna confirmed, pointing on that day on the calendar. "No question about it."

"All right, that's perfect," said Rapunzel. "And… assuming you have a regular twenty-eight-day cycle, as is the standard… would you say that you do?"

"I don't have a flingin'-flangin' clue," Anna grumbled.

Rapunzel waved a hand casually. "Doesn't matter too much. Let's just assume that you do. Twenty-eight days. Last month having been February, that makes this part easier: your next period should be, once again, on Sunday the seventh."

Anna's eyes widened. "That's in only five days!"

"Yeah, we don't have very much time to prepare," Rapunzel said, frowning at the calendar. "I'll have to do some serious coaching…"

Anna took a deep breath in and out. "I can do this. I can do this… yeah, I'm totally ready, no problems at all. Although… hrmm, Kristoff's leaving on his ice delivery circuit today, out to all the surrounding villages. He won't be back until Saturday."

Rapunzel put a hand on Anna's shoulder and gripped it tight, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Then you have a choice to make. Will you sleep with him when he gets back… or today? You have a chance to do it today."

Anna's eyes bulged and she recoiled. "No… not today. I need more time to get ready…"

"Fair enough," said Rapunzel. "So I have four days to coach you. Challenging… but I think we can do it. Might even be easier without him around to distract you."

"Okay," said Anna. "So he'll be back on that last window of opportunity. Eww, what if I'm already bleeding by the time he gets back?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "You can still have sex with him. It's not as pretty, but it's just as safe, and it's very soothing. _If_ you're in the mood for it… that's a pretty big if, but if you do get in the mood while on your period you'll be _really_ in the mood…"

"Mm, I've noticed," Anna said thoughtfully. "So, that's normal then? That's a relief…"

"All the same…" said Rapunzel, "it's probably _not_ the kind of thing you want for your first time. Unless you end up feeling like you really, _really_ need it… it's something that's better saved for when you already really know what makes you guys tick in bed. If it turns out he comes home a bit too late… we might have to wait until next month." She grasped Anna's hand. "But I'll be here for you, no matter what. So don't even worry about that."

"Okay," Anna whispered.

~0~0~0~

Merida drifted back into the bedchamber she shared with her mother, who was sitting at the room's desk, looking over several rolls of parchment and occasionally making a note with her quill.

"Hey, Mum," she said casually, sitting on one of the room's two small beds. She had been wringing out a wet rag, and now set to work using it to wipe the makeup off her face.

"Hello, Merida," said Elinor. "You certainly woke up early." She turned and looked over Merida. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"Just something I picked up in town," Merida grumbled. "I know, I know, it's not me. Elsa told me already. I was just trying to impress her, but she saw through me right away. I went too far with it, like."

"You've, ah, seen Elsa this morning, then?" Elinor said cautiously. "Dare I ask?"

"Things… happened," Merida said evasively. "All good things, not to worry. As of last night, she's well aware of my feelings and my intentions, and she says she's thinking about it."

"Oh?"

Merida grinned. "Elsa's amazing, Mum. So graceful, and level-headed, and… reasonable! You know? She's got a real head for logic."

"I'm delighted you're finally falling for someone, Merida," Elinor said sincerely, returning to her parchment.

"And her boobs and butt—my God!" Merida gushed passionately. "I know I keep harpin' on about her butt, but it's just… glorious. Like a peach!"

Elinor blinked. "What the devil is a peach?"

"You know, those very sweet and juicy fruits that we had at the castle that one time? Imported from China? With the fuzzy skin?"

Elinor frowned. "I don't recall."

"Well, the shape, color, and texture of a peach is very similar to a woman's tush."

"I'll take your word for it."

Finished wiping her face, Merida clasped her hands on her lap and stared at the ceiling. "I think I may be… in love with her," she said breathlessly.

"I don't know about that, Merida," said Elinor, frowning. "You've scarcely had more than two conversations with her."

"Yeah, but those conversations were about us getting married," Merida said earnestly, "so it's like… that adds a whole 'nother layer of intimacy to the conversations…"

Elinor shrugged. "Well, it's clear that you're feeling things for this woman that you've never felt before."

"She's important to me," Merida agreed.

"And I'm proud, Merida, very proud," said Elinor, beaming at her. "I can't say I have any misgivings or criticisms to offer."

Merida smiled back. "That's a nice change, Mum. Thank you. I've done what I can to be patient and chivalrous… though I fail to see why I have to be the man in this courtship."

"It's not that you're the 'man', per se," said Elinor. "But it was you who made the proposal, so it's only right and proper that you carry out that half of the social contract."

"Feh, I guess so," Merida muttered.

Elinor returned to her scrolls, and there was no sound but the occasional scratching of her quill for a few minutes.

"I should probably tell you," Merida said nervously, "there's been a time or two when passion's gotten the better of me and I've gotten a bit, well… pushy?"

"Oh no," Elinor said in horror. "Merida…"

"It's fine!" Merida said frantically. "It's fine. She says she forgives me. I've promised her I'll never do it again."

Elinor turned to glare at her. "Tell me, Merida, how's she supposed to believe that? If it's happened twice in the scant two days she's known you…"

"I know, Mum! All right? I'm doing the best I can!"

Elinor's face softened at Merida's genuine anguish. "Well… as I said, I _am_ … proud of you. You know what would make me even prouder?"

"What's that, Mum?"

"If you helped me with some of this paperwork," Elinor said cheerfully, tapping the desk. "We are, after all, here to forge an alliance."

"Meh." Merida stood up and took a seat at the desk next to her mother, grumbling all the while.

"Don't be that way," said Elinor, amused. "If you're going to be the co-queen of Arendelle someday, you'd best learn _now_ how Arendelle and DunBroch interact."

"Always a catch, there is," Merida said darkly, taking up a quill of her own.

~0~0~0~

"Kristoff!"

He turned his head, on his way out the castle doors toward the stables. Anna was racing toward him.

"Kristoff, kiss me goodbye!" she said eagerly.

"Really?" he said brightly. "Well, that's new. You bet."

He reached for her, but she jumped between his arms and dove on him, kissing him as she had never kissed him before. He responded in turn, wrapping his hands around her waist and lifting her off her feet. She kissed him harder with an unsettling, ravenous growl, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull their bodies closer together.

Soon, out of breath, he moved to set her down, impeded for a moment when she whined wordlessly and refused to release her legs from around him, but a few seconds later she gave in to him and allowed him to place her on the ground.

"Well…" he remarked, "not to get all flowery and poetic on you, but… whoa."

Anna beamed. "Just something to remember me by while you're on your trip. And a reason for you to hurry home, because you'll be getting more of the same when you do."

He gazed at her. "Wow. That is the hottest thing you have ever said."

"Really?" she teased. "Then I'd better work on my hotness, because that's pretty… lukewarm." She hugged him tightly, snuggling her head into his chest.

"I love you, baby," he said, patting her on the back.

"I love you tooooo," she replied, almost singing.

They parted and regarded each other for a few silent moment. As casually as she could manage, Anna pushed her shoulders back as far as she could, forcing her petite breasts forward and up, fixing Kristoff with a shy, flirtatious stare.

He glanced at her jutting chest, then back at her face, smiling. "Well, if all goes well, I'll see you Saturday."

"I miss you already," said Anna. "I honestly can't wait."

He departed, an expression of wonder on his face as he proceeded to the stables to retrieve Sven and his sled.

~0~0~0~

Elsa stood at the largest window at the front of the castle, overlooking the castle courtyard, gazing out at the castle and the sea.

"Good morning, Queen Elsa."

Elsa jumped in surprise. Eugene was standing right next to her, also gazing out the window.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Prince Eugene, I didn't see you there. Or… or hear you. At all. Wow."

"Sorry, old habits die hard," he said casually. "I'm stealthy. Used to be a pretty important part of my job."

"How long have you been standing there?" she said blankly.

"Longer than you."

"Ah," Elsa said awkwardly. "Well, I'm sorry if my introspective window-gazing is interfering with yours."

"Not at all," he said brightly. "I've got nothing to introspect about, just kind of people-watching. Where's your sister's boyfriend going?"

Elsa followed his gaze to Kristoff, leaving the castle gates on his sled.

"Ice deliveries," she said. "I make the ice blocks and he delivers them. They're valued in the kingdom for being of much higher quality than those that are harvested the old-fashioned way. They last longer." She grinned mischievously and leaned toward him. "Between you and me, I _could_ make them so they last forever, but… if I did that, it'd put Kristoff and all of his competitors completely out of a job, so… I don't. Except here in the castle. Our iceboxes are stocked with ice that will never melt."

"Cool," he said, then immediately winced. "Damn it, I did it too. No pun intended…"

"Don't worry, everybody does it."

He nodded. "So, what are _you_ being introspective about?"

Elsa thought hard about what to answer, then shrugged and leaned forward, resting her arms on the windowsill and releasing a lengthy puff of air from her mouth. "Oh, just questioning my sexuality."

He leaned against the sill as well, resting a single elbow on it so he could still face her. "Really?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Princess Merida, she's kind of… you know. I look at her, and… lightning bolt moment. Biggest epiphany I've had since…" She gazed at her fingers and waved them reflexively, tiny snowflakes bursting out.

Eugene gazed at her uncomfortably. "Should I be the person you're telling this to?"

"Maybe not, but you're the first person who's asked," Elsa said, seeming detached, her eyes still on the ocean horizon. "I should probably talk to my sister, I suppose…"

"I think so," he agreed. "Sorry, I just… I don't really know what I'm supposed to say to that."

"Sorry." They were silent for a moment. "So, where's your wife?"

"With your sister. They've been making up for lost time since dinner last night." He grinned. "I don't think they've stopped talking since then. They were camped out in the ballroom all night."

Elsa smiled too. "That's adorable." She thought for a moment, moving her lips and tongue silently and aimlessly until she decided what to say next. "When you were first getting to know Rapunzel, how did you let her know that you… that you liked her?"

"I never really did," he said. "She just kinda figured it out. And then we were together."

"I see," said Elsa, punctuating it with a disappointed sigh. "If only everything in life was that easy."

"If only," Eugene agreed. Silence set in again, Eugene watching Elsa carefully while she simply stared at the sky and sea. "So… you've got a thing for the Scottish chick, then? She gives you the feels?"

"I think she's… very attractive," Elsa said in a quavering voice. "And she likes me… she likes me a _whole_ lot. But I don't know if I… you know?"

"Sure," he said. "I understand completely. But maaaaaybe you should talk to your sister about this."

"Of course." She stood up and turned to face him, smiling and grasping his shoulder affectionately. "Too much too soon, eh cousin?"

"Well, I've got your back," he said hastily. "I just don't know if I can advise you properly."

"Right. Thank you. See you later, Eugene."

"Later."

He waved goodbye to her as she made her way toward the stairs leading downward, to the courtyard.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** My claim that _Frozen_ is the crux of this whole thing, that this is first and foremost a _Frozen_ fanfic, may raise the question of why it's categorized as a Tangled/Brave crossover. Well, that would be because I assumed that, of the six possible Tangled/Brave/Frozen/Moana combinations, Tangled/Brave would be the most popular on account of that whole "Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons" fad from a few years back, and that therefore that would be the easiest place to get the story seen. Much like how in my very first fanfic, a six-part crossover of _Twilight_ , _Maximum Ride_ , and _Monsters vs. Aliens_ , the final four installments were all placed under the Twilight/Max category because that was a crossover category that actually saw traffic, quite unlike if I'd put them into any MvA category.

Wow. Those old fanfics actually existed. And still do, right there on my profile where anybody could see them. That is a really embarrassing realization.

Oh, and also, I was wrong; the most popular of the six possible categories I could have chosen is actually Tangled/Frozen. Go figure. Guess I shouldn't have assumed. And yet, only 273 stories in that category? Well, gosh, you'd think modern Disney Princess crossovers would be more popular than that. But that's okay, that just means the Tangled/Brave market isn't saturated. Might be dead, though. Not sure yet.


	7. Day 2, Part 3

**AN:** You know what, I probably should have just placed this in the "Disney" category. I'll probably move it there. That's probably where I'll get traffic.

Gotta pick my moment, though. I'll get through my 25 days of daily updates, _then_ move it. Yeah…

 **Day 2, Part 3**

"All right," said Elsa, looking over a piece of parchment. "Yes, I think this is a legitimate error—you were overtaxed. You have my apologies." She rolled up the parchment and pointed her finger at it, conjuring up a huge blue snowflake which sealed it, and handed it to the citizen who had approached her. "Take this to the chancellor and point out the error, and he will return to you the money you were overcharged. The seal will let him know that this order comes straight from me. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

The man smiled in gratitude and relief. "Thank you, your majesty. You are just and kind."

"So they tell me," Elsa said wryly.

As the citizen scampered into the castle, Elsa spotted Anna, twirling around gleefully in the center of the courtyard, her arms spread and her face turned toward the sky, her eyes closed.

"Hey, Anna," she called.

Anna slowly stopped spinning and beamed at Elsa, her eyes still half-closed and stumbling dizzily. "Hellooo, Elsa. You know, sometimes it's like the hills really are alive with the sound of music. Though we don't really have hills, do we? It kind of goes straight from sea to mountains…"

Elsa chuckled. "That sounds about right. What are you so happy about?"

"Oh, I'm just really into Kristoff," Anna gushed dreamily. "Daydreaming about things we'll do together when he returns… I can't wait. You know who else I'm into? Rapunzel. She's the best cousin ever."

"She's pretty great," Elsa agreed. "Where is she? Eugene gave me the impression you two were joined at the hip now."

"Oh, we are," said Anna. "I love her! And she loves me… but, we can't be together every minute. As much as we'd _like_ to be… one of us must occasionally visit the lavatory. And not just to gossip and reapply our lipstick. So, I'm just waiting on her, she's gonna meet me out here and then we're gonna hang out in the garden."

"Cool," Elsa said absently. "Yeah, that's awesome. I'm glad this visit is going well… that you're bonding. That was kind of the idea, sisterhood between all the princesses of… yeah."

"Yeah?" Anna said curiously.

"Yeah," said Elsa, blushing. "Um… Anna… maybe I should have confided this in you earlier…"

"I would say so!" Anna declared mockingly. "You're supposed to tell me everything."

"Heh… yeah," Elsa chuckled awkwardly, lowering her voice. "On the subject of bonding… what if I told you I was… attracted? To Princess Merida?"

Anna blinked several times, surprised.

"Anna?" Elsa said cautiously.

"Ooooh, that's interesting," she said softly. "I've spent so many years trying to picture you marrying some dude and I just could never _do_ it…" Her face broke out in a grin. "But I can _totally_ see you marrying Merida! Ooh, that's very alliterative. Marrying Merida, marrying Merida, marrying Merida…"

"Can… can we do that?" Elsa said anxiously. "Two women, get married, I mean."

"You're the queen, you can do whatever you want," Anna said dismissively.

"That is _not_ true, Anna, and you know it," said Elsa. "There are a lot of public perceptions I have to deal with. It's not very holy… I don't think. I don't know! Is it?"

"Holy?" Anna laughed. "Elsa, you have terrifying magical powers. Any critic who'd think you marrying a woman was 'unholy' is gonna think that about you already. And screw all the critics!"

"Are you sure?" Elsa said uneasily.

"I'm positive," said Anna, reaching out to gently grasp both of Elsa's hands, slowly stroking them with her thumbs. "No one's opinion of you is going to change because… because you're gay." She squealed. "It even feels right to say it! You're gay. My big sister is gay. Oh, it fits you so well!"

"Take it easy," Elsa said frantically, looking wildly around. "And keep your voice down. I don't know that I'm gay, per se… just that I have an interest in Merida."

"Mm-hmmmmm, and what does _she_ think about this 'interest'?" said Anna. "I mean, I know she said _she_ was gay, but does that mean…?"

"She was understating things," Elsa said grimly. "She's _super_ gay. And super into me."

"That is so amazing," said Anna, awestruck. "My God, why wouldn't she be? You're so glamorous and dazzling. Oh, Elsa, you're going to be so happy! Love feels sooo good! I can't wait to tell Rapunzel, she'll be thrilled… _can_ I tell Rapunzel?"

"Go nuts," Elsa said tonelessly.

"Yay! So… what are you going to do about it?"

"Well… she wants us to date," Elsa muttered.

"Are you going to date her, then?"

"I… well…" Elsa stammered out, frustrated. "I _could_ , but… I mean, I've spent my whole life assuming I was heterosexual, like… well, like I assume everybody does, until they know that they're not. What if I am?"

"What have you got to lose by trying, Els?" Anna said gently. "You'll never know unless you try. If you have feelings for Merida, _go for it_."

"Really?" Elsa said warily.

"Listen…" said Anna, "I agreed to Hans's marriage proposal the day we met—bad idea. And I've been stringing Kristoff along for twenty-one months. Also a bad idea, one I'm gonna start trying to make up for. When you find love, I want you to learn from me and find a balance between my two extremes. Like Merida said: in your own time." She squeezed Elsa's shoulders. "Me, personally? You know what I think would be great? I'd love it if you reached out and _seized_ your own time instead of waiting for it to come to you. She digs you, you dig her, I say go for it and see if it blossoms into something."

"Just go for it, huh?" Elsa said wryly. "That goes very much against my instincts."

"I know," Anna said tenderly, her hands gently gliding up and down Elsa's arms. "I know it does. But you're… oh, Elsa, you are _so_ beautiful when you're confident and ready to seize the day. It makes me so proud of you… and it happens so rarely. But something tells me it'll happen a lot more often if you're living your life with a beautiful redhead on your arm." She smiled, shaking her head in amazement. "I can't wait to see it. I can't believe I never saw it before! You arm-in-arm with a man would just look so wrong… but gosh, you would just look _so_ queenly and magnificent with Merida beside you. You… with a woman… I don't know why I never thought of that."

"Well, I'm just glad you didn't pick up on it before I did," said Elsa with a wry smile. "That would have been embarrassing. Thank you, Anna. Your encouragement is… well, all I need in life. I love you."

"Hey," said Rapunzel, appearing suddenly at Anna's shoulder. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing really," said Elsa. "Good morning, Rapunzel."

"Good morning, cousin," said Rapunzel, once again pulling her all too rapidly into a hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great," Elsa whispered, gently patting Rapunzel on the back.

Rapunzel quickly withdrew to stare deeply into Elsa's eyes. "No you're not," she said decisively. "Something's weighing you _way_ down. What's the matter?"

"I'll let Anna fill you on the details," Elsa muttered. "I've got a lot to think about. I… may or may not be getting married. I'll talk to you later." She wandered off, barely seeming aware of where she was going.

"What was that?" Rapunzel said in alarm, turning to Anna. "She's getting married?"

"Oh, she's overthinking it," Anna said dismissively. "Come on, let me show you to the garden. I'll tell you on the way."

~0~0~0~

In the gardens behind Arendelle castle, among the intoxicating aroma and vibrant colors of the fresh blooms of spring, Merida inspected a rose bush. After carefully considering one rose after another, she plucked one, drawing it up by its long stem. Drawing a small knife from her belt—having changed out of the frilly pink dress—she began gently removing the rose's thorns, expertly leaving the stem almost perfectly smooth.

"Hey, Red!"

Merida whirled, hiding the rose behind her back. Anna was approaching her, her face and body quivering with a pitiful attempt to suppress her glee. Rapunzel walked at her heel, beaming at Merida.

"Hey there," Merida said guardedly. "Er… that's how you greet a dignitary from a foreign land? 'Hey, Red'?"

"That's not a problem, is it?"

"Far from it," said Merida. "Quite the opposite. Not a lot of people speak to me that way. I wish they did."

"We do that a lot around here," Anna said brightly. "Open gates on the castle, you know. Anybody can come in and be all, 'Whazzup?' Why, only a few minutes ago, some guy just walked straight up to Elsa to complain about a mistake on his tax forms…" She looked over Merida and spotted the concealed rose. "You vandalizing my garden?"

"No," Merida peeped. "Just pickin' a flower. Is that all right?"

"Of course it is," said Anna. She stood beside Merida and looked at the rose bush. "Ah… it _is_ nice, isn't it? I love being out here in the spring." She shot Merida a sidelong smirk.

"What's up?" Merida said cautiously.

"Oh, just been talking to Elsa," Anna chirped. "You've got the hots for her!"

Merida smiled. "Aye, I do. Is… _that_ all right?"

"Well, I certainly can't fault you for it," Anna said with deep satisfaction. "She's pretty hot. Heck, I'm happily in a relationship, I'm straight as an arrow, and she's my sister, and yet I'm pretty sure _I've_ got the hots for her."

"Hmm. That makes you my competition."

They both laughed.

"Incidentally, arrows?" said Merida. "Not all that straight. If they're really gonna fly straight, they can't be. It's highly paradoxical, but it's true."

"Hmm, how about that?" Anna said thoughtfully. "So, what have you and Elsa talked about? Stuff?"

"Well, Anna, I… may I call you Anna, Princess?"

"Of course, Red. …Da. Mer-red-da."

Merida laughed. "Ah, anyway… well, mostly I've told your sister I'd like to marry her. I want to see that it's right first, of course. But… she doesn't know if she's up for it."

Anna nodded expectantly. "Mm-hmm. What else?"

"Er… that's it, really," Merida admitted.

"Really?" Anna said blankly. "You've _only_ talked about marriage? Dude…"

"I know, I know," Merida said dismissively. "I went too fast. I had no intentions of marrying her _right away_ …"

"Well, that gives you an edge already," Anna said wisely. "You need to find something else to talk to her about."

"I plan to, but, ah… she's asked me not to talk to her again until she's good and ready," Merida said sheepishly. "Though if I had a few possible topics for when she _is_ ready…?"

"Oh, sure!" Anna said eagerly. "Any ideas?"

"Well, she likes books, right?"

"Mm, kinda. Her true passions lie in geometry and astronomy."

Merida flinched. "Eww. That's not… we don't really have that in common…"

"Well, those are her two favorite things in the world, so you'd better learn to live with them," Anna said sternly. "I'm sure you'll find some common ground as far as interests."

"I'll… I'll make the effort," said Merida, now openly brandishing her rose and examining it carefully. "I'd do anything to connect with her, I swear. I want to love the things she does…"

Anna beamed. "I'm sure you will."

"You know, your hair is amazing," said Rapunzel, speaking for the first time. "How do you get it like that?"

"Would you believe I just roll out of bed like this?" Merida said brightly.

"Get out."

"Swear to God."

"I find that very hard to believe," said Rapunzel, looking over the hair.

"Well, I've got to keep it very, very clean, of course," Merida admitted. "Which is harder than it sounds, because, trust me, there's even more of it than it looks."

"Ah," said Rapunzel, nodding. "I wouldn't know. When I had long hair, it stayed clean through magic. Which is good, because there was way too much of it for it to manageable otherwise… in fact, my whole body stayed clean, I never even smelled funny. And I never got sick, and… well, actually, I still never get sick, I think I've still got some of the magic inside me somewhere, but I _do_ actually have to bathe now. It's surprisingly fun! Especially shampooing my hair. Of course, I don't have very _much_ hair now, so I can see how it would be slightly less fun."

"It's fun enough," said Merida, tugging on a single lock of her hair to take a good look at it. "Just somethin' I've got to do every day, is all, not good or bad."

"Gotcha," said Rapunzel. "I admit, I kinda miss the magic hair. I don't, yet I do. Know what I mean? It would be dead useful if it didn't go on forever… and it wasn't so cuttable… and covetable…"

"Well, for what it's worth, I like you as a brunette," Anna chirped.

"Thanks," Rapunzel said brightly. "It was actually surprisingly easy to get used to. But you…" She turned to Merida. "You've got to let me do something with your hair."

"Like what?" Merida said cautiously.

"Something fun," said Rapunzel. "It's been so long since I've had so much hair to work with. And of such a new, different texture…"

Merida thought about it, then smiled and shrugged. "Sure! Try to do something with my hair. I've never found anything can be done with it, but if anyone could, I suppose you'd be the one with the know-how."

~0~0~0~

Later in the evening, Elinor wandered the castle hallways, intrigued at how the paintings looked different in the dimming light. On the other side of the corridor, Elsa rounded a corner, taking the scenic route to her bedroom and savoring the artwork as she walked. Elinor silently observed her as they approached one another.

Elsa did a double-take at one particularly gloomy painting, and waved her hand at it, creating a gust of cold wind, which straightened out the almost-imperceptibly crooked way the painting was hanging. Elinor chuckled aloud, and Elsa twitched, expertly suppressing an actual jump of surprise, and turning to face Elinor, dignified and graceful.

"Your majesty," Elsa greeted.

"Your majesty," Elinor echoed, smiling.

"How is Arendelle treating you?"

"You have a lovely kingdom," said Elinor. "Your people are gracious and welcoming, and this castle… the architecture and décor has yet to run out of surprises. I can't thank you enough for extending us this invitation."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, your majesty," said Elsa, bowing. "I hope you have many other days to simply… enjoy yourself. I wouldn't want us get bogged down by our business."

"Aye, we'll get around to the business in the proper time," Elinor agreed. "It's you young lasses getting to know each other that's the truly important part, I think; the part that'll really make this alliance stand for generations. I saw Merida with your sister and cousin out in the garden a bit earlier this morning. Picking flowers and playing with each other's hair and things."

"Aw, that's great," Elsa said, grinning.

"It was rather cute," Elinor said. "But I couldn't help but wonder… where were you?"

"I needed a bit of time alone with my thoughts," said Elsa. "But I _have_ been socializing with the guests. Rapunzel and Eugene and Merida, I've had some pretty serious conversations with all of them."

"And how's that going?"

"Great," said Elsa. "Only…"

"Only… what?" Elinor inquired, her small smile indicating she had a pretty good idea of what was coming.

"Well," Elsa admitted, "Princess Merida _has_ been hitting on me an awful lot."

Elinor chuckled. "So I've noticed. She's not just trying to bed you, is she? She _is_ offering herself up in marriage, correct?"

"Yes," Elsa said softly.

"Good."

Elinor waited for Elsa to say something else. When she didn't, Elinor silently turned away and slowly continued down the hall.

"Queen Elinor, please," Elsa said hastily. "I need your help. You know your daughter. What is she after? What should I do?"

Elinor turned around to face her again. "What you 'should' do, I couldn't say. You must do as you see fit, your majesty. As for Merida's intent… well, I can tell you that she believes very strongly in duty. However, she does _not_ believe in marrying someone for purely political reasons."

"She and I have that in common," Elsa replied, offering a small smile.

"So you see," said Elinor, "though I suggested to her what she could gain by marrying you, she would not have considered it if she didn't believe the two of you would be a good match, one heart to another. She likes you very much."

"Oh…?" Elsa said tenderly.

"Actually, at first she just wanted to sleep with you," Elinor said flippantly. "But I managed to convince her to approach you in a less scandalous fashion. I told her, if you want to bed that woman, you had best marry her first. To my surprise, she thought that was a fine idea."

"You're very open-minded about your daughter's, well… interests," said Elsa.

Elinor shrugged. "Some might call me a radical for it, but how could I not be? One morning, she just stood before me and her father on our thrones—and, mind you, her place is to sit _beside_ us, but she put herself on the agenda as though she were any other citizen needin' a word with the king and queen. And she said, bold as you please, 'After much soul-searching, I have determined that I am a gay woman, and I will be living my life accordingly.' How do you refute that?"

Elsa broke out in a genuine grin. "How indeed?"

"Of course, had I known at the time that 'living her life accordingly' meant trying to bed every girl in DunBroch…" Elinor muttered.

"Trying?" said Elsa. "She gave me the impression that she's actually done that."

"More or less," said Elinor. "I hope you don't hold that against her. Clearly what she's attempting here, with you, is something quite different."

"I agree," said Elsa, nodding slowly. "Clearly…"

"Are you, incidentally?" Elinor inquired.

"Am I what? Oh… am I gay? Is that what you…?"

"It's none of my business, of course," Elinor said hastily. "But if Merida's pursuit is all for naught, it's best to say so early."

"I honestly don't know," said Elsa. "But I intend to find out as soon as I can. I have no desire to string Princess Merida along."

"How do you intend to find out?" asked Elinor, tilting her head.

Elsa ran a hand down the back of her neck nervously. "Soul-searching, I guess. Perhaps a few days of it."

Elinor nodded. "Well… may God be with you, lass."

"Thank you, ma'am."

~0~0~0~

Exhausted and sighing with pleasure, Rapunzel tumbled off of Eugene's body and landed flat on her back in the bed beside him.

"Wow," he gasped, dumbfounded.

"Yup," she said, blissfully, her eyes closed. "That was fantastic."

"I guess that's what happens when we wait this long," Eugene marveled. "When's the last time we went over twenty-four hours without doing it?"

"I have no idea. Ages. Ah, but I had such a good day. That's a big part of it too."

"Well… glad I could contribute to that," said Eugene, rolling over briefly to kiss her on the cheek.

She giggled, and her eyes opened wide with a sudden thought. She rolled over a grabbed the sketchpad off the floor, flipped through it, and quickly read through what she had written down the previous night before shutting the book again and rolling back to face Eugene, gazing deeply into his eyes.

"Eugene…" she said seriously. "From the very first time we made love… it always just reminds me of how I totally, utterly trust you. You make me so happy, and comfortable. You're like the missing piece of me, and when our bodies are joined together it's like there's nothing missing anymore. It's bliss… ecstasy… purest, unbridled pleasure." She kissed his forehead.

"Wow," he whispered. "That's beautiful."

"Yeah," she agreed smugly. "Built it off of something I said last night, like… on the spot. When Anna asked me what sex is like… I'd never had to answer that question before, but when I did, I knew you deserved to hear it too." She kissed him deeply on the mouth.

"Right," he said thoughtfully as the kiss broke, giving her another tiny kiss on the brow. "You were saying something about Anna and sex earlier. What was it?"

"Um… what, you don't remember?" Rapunzel teased.

"Well, it's hard to hear and remember what you talk about when you say it _during_ sex," he told her pointedly. "Why is that always when you explain things?"

"Sorry!" she giggled. "I just get so eager to share these things… and I know that if I try talking about them _before_ sex, you won't listen."

"That is probably true," he said, sounding almost proud.

"So I try to wait until after, but I just can't," Rapunzel concluded, sheepish.

"That's fair," Eugene said pleasantly. "Well, I'm listening now, so what's up?"

"Well…" said Rapunzel. "Well, here's the thing. Anna wants to have sex with her boyfriend… well, okay, I kind of put the idea in her head. And, well, since I have some actual experience with… you know… with pre-marital sex just as a way to sort of practice…"

"Uh-huh," he said, grinning mischievously.

"Yeah, so, I'm going to coach her," Rapunzel said, more confident in her words now. "I'm going to use what I've learned from us to teach her how to have a totally awesome sex life. Hopefully she'll be ready by the time he gets back from his ice deliveries."

He nodded. "Hey, that's pretty cool of you, to do that."

"I… well, I'd kind of do anything for Anna," Rapunzel admitted guiltily. "I know it's only been a couple of days… and, heck, only one when I agreed to it… but she's just… she's totally captured my heart. She is just the sweetest thing I've ever met. And… well, okay, here's the part you should be concerned about…"

"Okay," he said cautiously.

She took a deep breath. "Well… would it be all right if… if you went back to Corona on your own? And I stayed here for a while? I want to give her all the help I can. She needs it. And she can only safely sleep with him a few days out of the month, so…"

He blinked at her in surprise.

"It won't be for very long," she said hastily. "Just… well, just until they're ready to get married. A few months, at most. And… and you can just hold my place back at home, kind of…"

He continued staring at her in disbelief.

"Say something," she pleaded with an awkward attempt at a smile.

He took a moment to comply. "You'd… you'd really do that? Stay here for a couple of months just to… teach your cousin how to have sex?"

"I love her, Eugene," she said simply. "I love her so much and I want her to have everything I have."

"You and I figured it out well enough on our own."

"Eventually, yeah," said Rapunzel. "I don't want her to have to take that time. She's been through so much—I want to make sure she doesn't miss out on even a moment of pleasure. I… I just want to help her have it all."

He beheld her for a moment, still amazed. "This is really important to you."

"It is."

He pulled her close and pressed his forehead against hers. "All right. This is something you need to do. Who am I to try and stop you? I'm all for it, honey."

She snuggled up to him, hugging him as tightly as she could and resting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for understanding, Eugene."

"Oh, I don't understand you at _all_. But that's what's so wonderful about you."

~0~0~0~

Elsa settled into her bed, a lamp burning at her side. She simply sat there, staring at her opposite wall, occasionally trying to settle into a more comfortable position. After a while, she slowly reached to her bedside table for the thick green book.

"All right, _Wicked_ ," she muttered. "Time to help me work a few things out."

She flipped through it, searching for one of its full-page illustrations. She found one, of a handsome young man in uniform.

"Fiyero…" she pondered. "I always figured I just wasn't attracted to Fiyero. But why wouldn't I be? If I'm so like Elphaba…" She sighed and flipped to an earlier page, to the very first illustration in the book, which depicted Galinda, her hair in ringlets, bearing a wand and a crown, and clad in a very tight dress that showed off her substantial cleavage.

Elsa's heart leapt and her eyes widened. "Oh my… how have I never noticed before… just how much that…?" She swallowed hard and flipped to the next illustration, depicting Galinda together with her new roommate.

"Oh, Elphie…" Elsa gasped, breathless at the illustrated figure's quiet, understated beauty. She flipped back to the illustration of Fiyero. "I get it… I get the attraction… but I don't feel it." She looked to the ceiling. "Meridaaaaa…" She said, tasting the name on her lips and tongue, listening to its final syllable streaming into the air.

She thumbed through the book again, finding a picture of Elphaba alone, now wearing her iconic witch costume. "It's not the only thing we've gone through together, is it, Elphaba?" Elsa pondered. "I mean, it's technically not _in_ the book that you've been through what I'm going through right now, but most analysts agree that it's in there… subtextually." She dropped the book and buried her face in her hands. "Unnnhh… so much of my brain is screaming at me that I need to gather more data. That I should try looking at some more men, try _really_ hard to picture myself with men or women… with you, with Galinda… with Merida… Merida."

She uncovered her face and looked at the book again, slowly making her way back to the page depicting both main characters together. "But no. I think for a change I'll listen to that one tiny part of my brain that's calm and at peace. That part of me that's always been _pretty_ sure… that part I just tried not to listen to, because before I met Merida I just didn't realize that I could be a… that I could _live_ that way."

She brought two fingers to her lips, kissed her fingertips, then touched them to both of the characters' faces. "Thanks, you two. Always there for me, aren't you? Sad and scary and dark as your story is, you'll never be far from my heart."

Decisively, she set the book aside, and settled into her bed, flat on her back. Not bothering to extinguish her lamp, she stared up at the ceiling and her bed hangings.

She thought for a moment, holding her hands aloft and staring at them, observing her painted nails and delicate wrists. Then, all of a sudden, almost before she was aware of making the decision, her hands were back under her covers, then inside her bedclothes…

"Merida…" she gasped passionately.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Ah, it's nice to be doing this story. There's so little reason in my life to be confident or believe that I'm capable of, well, anything. But here I am. Can I end a chapter of a Disney Princess fanfic on a blatant masturbation scene and keep it classy and tastefully T-rated? Sure I can! Just did. I just had to find the right way to do it. Can I begin _and_ end every chapter with an Author's Note? As it turns out, yes, yes I can. For now, at least.


	8. Day 3, Part 1

**AN:** I'd like to take this moment to publicly thank my fiancée Loopin' Lunan and my good friend Pixargirl for reviewing. If nobody else ever sees this story, I'll be happy that I have you two. Lots of love!

Of course, yeah, if I keep it in the Tangled/Brave category, it probably _won't_ ever be seen by anybody else, so thank you as well for pointing out that it probably should have gone under Disney… hehe…

 **Day 3, Part 1**

It was a crisp and chilly morning, rather unexpectedly in the middle of what had been a very pleasant spring, but the three princesses seemed scarcely to notice, out in Arendelle's back garden as though it was as nice outside as it had ever been.

Rapunzel and Merida sat on a stone bench, Rapunzel bearing huge handfuls of Merida's voluminous, curly hair and weaving them into a braid in what was clearly a feat of some strength. Anna stood off to the side, watching them both, dancing with excitement. Both Anna and Rapunzel had as many flowers stuck into their hair as they could possibly fit.

"So, Punzel… do you like books?" Anna said casually.

"Very much," Rapunzel said, grinning as she continued braiding.

"Do you like ducklings?"

"Love 'em."

"We usually get a whole bunch of them here in the garden in summer." Anna looked content for a moment, then resumed her questioning. "Do you like my hair?"

"Cousin, I completely _adore_ your hair."

Anna beamed ecstatically, hopping from one foot to the other in her glee. "Ooh, do you… do you like unicorns?"

"I do indeed."

"Ooh! How about my boobs, do you like my boobs?"

Rapunzel looked at Anna for the first time, raising an eyebrow. Anna had thrust her chest forward and was waiting for an answer eagerly.

"They're… sure, I guess," Rapunzel said blankly. "I mean, yes. Definitely. They're very… pretty. I like them."

"Pretty? You really think so?"

"Well, I… I don't generally make it a habit to look at other women's boobs, so I don't really know what to compare them to, but as far as I can tell, yeah."

"Yay!" Anna chirped, hopping back to the bench and taking a seat. "Ooh, Merida, that braid looks excellent!"

"Yeah?" said Merida, reaching back to feel it. "Get me a mirror…"

"It wasn't easy, let me tell you," said Rapunzel. "Your hair does _not_ like being messed with…"

"No, it doesn't," Merida said solemnly. "Can't do a damn thing with it, but that's why I love it. It's like me: no one can tame or… control it…"

Just before she finished her sentence, Merida noticed that Elsa was standing out in the garden, not going anywhere or looking at anything, simply standing, as though waiting.

Reflexively, Merida stood up and took a few steps toward Elsa, then stopped herself, turned on her heel, and sat back down on the bench beside Rapunzel, folding her hands in her lap gracefully.

At this, Elsa smiled and approached the three of them. "Good morning, Anna," she said. "Hello, Cousin Rapunzel. And a very good day to you, Princess Merida. I can't overstate what a pleasure it is to see you."

"You were testing me," said Merida, smirking. "Standing there to see if I'd honor my promise."

"And I'm very glad that you passed," said Elsa. "I have made a decision."

"Yes?" Merida said eagerly.

"Well… several decisions, actually," Elsa admitted. "First of all, Anna… and Rapunzel, you should be here for this too." She slowly turned to face the two of them, taking a breath. "I would like… to f-formally issue the statement to my f-family…" She quivered a bit, rubbing her face, and took another deep, calming breath, before straightening again and speaking in a clear voice. "After much s-soul searching, I have d… determined… that I am a gay woman… and I will be living my life accordingly."

Anna beamed, and immediately got to her feet and embraced Elsa. "I'm so happy you had the courage to say it," she said tenderly in her ear.

Rapunzel nodded, applauding. "Hear, hear. Well done, cousin."

Elsa stroked Anna's back before gently stepping out of the embrace. "As for you, Princess Merida…"

"You stole my coming-out line," Merida said, looking miffed. "Stole it verbatim. My mother told you, I take it?"

"Well… it was a very good line," said Elsa, grinning sheepishly. "It inspired me." She bowed to Merida politely. "I owe you my gratitude for leading me to this discovery about myself. I have a better grasp of who I am now, and… after a fashion, I'm sure, this will bring me confidence, though for now I'm still kind of a wreck about it…"

"I can't imagine you being any more confident than you are," said Merida. "You make being a queen look so easy."

"It's kind of you to say, Princess," Elsa said quietly.

"If you could stop being so blasted formal," said Merida irritably, "I'm… kinda interested in a decision about… what we talked about… sorry. Sorry, I was supposed to wait." She clasped her hands in her lap again and looked down.

"Please… look at me," Elsa said.

Nervously, she lifted her head.

"I accept."

"What?" Merida breathed.

"I accept," said Elsa, barely audible. "I will court you, if you'll have me."

"Oh, your majesty!" Merida exclaimed. "I…" She anxiously fiddled in her pockets and slipped off the bench, getting down on one knee. "Your majesty, I… thank you. I know that some of my actions have raised… warning signs… about behavior unbecoming of a lady or a royal. In my pursuit of you, I've acted like… well, let's be honest, like a man."

Elsa snickered.

"You have my word that I have been put in my place. You have only my devotion… and my kindness." Choked up, Merida produced the rose she had picked and offered it up to Elsa. "You would honor me by consenting to be my sweetheart."

Elsa took the rose and examined it. The thorns on its long stem had been flawlessly removed. Elsa ran her finger along the stem and then gazed into the flower's petals. "It's magnificent," she whispered. "Yes…" She stuck the rose in her hair and held out a hand to help Merida get to her feet. "I will be your sweetheart."

They stood together for a moment, smiling at each other, still holding hands.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?" Elsa said quietly.

Merida looked alarmed.

"Elsa!" Anna laughed. "Forward much?"

"We've already kissed pretty passionately," Elsa said wryly. "There's really no sense in abstaining from it now."

"Well, all right then," said Merida.

She lifted herself onto her toes and closed her eyes, her lips parted slightly. Once again Elsa closed the distance between them, kissing her and stroking her shoulders before pulling her body close.

Merida eagerly sank into the kiss, moving her lips and tongue rapidly, her hands running up and down the sides of Elsa's body, before settling on her rear and giving it a hard squeeze.

"Mmph!" Elsa exclaimed, pushing Merida away. "You're bad," she said, flicking Merida's forehead. "…I like that about you. You push the limits of what you can get away with. I did that once. While it lasted, it was… it was awesome."

She gave Merida a gentle peck on the lips, then looked around nervously. "I would appreciate it if this could stay between the four of us for the time being," she said quietly. "I'm not ready to come out to the whole kingdom yet. Arrangements must be made with Merida's mother… obviously, we can't be married within the short two weeks the delegations are planning to stay, but nor do I wish to continue our courtship separated by so many days and miles of sea."

"If it helps," Rapunzel supplied, "I'm staying behind as well. I have to teach your sister about sex."

Bewildered, Elsa ran through several possible replies in her mind before settling on, "Better you than me."

Rapunzel smiled brightly.

"But yes…" Elsa said thoughtfully, "if you remained in the castle when _your_ delegation left, that would make it far less conspicuous that Merida was doing the same. That can only help to mask the nature of our relationship, if… if that's what we'll be doing…"

Anna gasped. "Princess party! The four of us will have a great big princess party, all on our own, it'll be so off the hook!"

"Yay!" Merida whooped.

"But… don't worry," said Elsa, holding Merida's hand. "I won't keep us a secret for long. We just need to figure out how to break the news to Arendelle as a whole that we're… going steady."

Merida chuckled. "'Going steady', I like that. But we're… we're gonna get married, right?"

"If it's right," said Elsa. "That _is_ one of only two ways a relationship can go, after all… but let's not talk about that kind of thing." She wrapped her arms around Merida's waist. "We only met two days ago. Let's make the most of this courtship. We'll plan for our engagement when it's time." She leaned forward and rubbed her nose against Merida's.

"…So, what, like six months?" Merida pressed.

"That sounds… sure, why not."

~0~0~0~

Later that day, the four of them gathered around a table on the castle terrace for teatime. Merida's massive braid had been loaded up with about twice as many flowers as Anna's and Rapunzel's hair combined, but Elsa had declined to receive the same treatment, wearing only the single rose.

"All right, you two," said Rapunzel, wrapping her arms around Elsa and Merida's shoulders. "Be patient with each other. You're two women who have never been on a date with anyone, for very different reasons. Take this slow, and Anna and I will be right here if you need any support." She walked around the table and sat next to Anna.

"Isn't she the greatest?" Anna said brightly. "She's so knowledgeable and stuff. Later she's gonna teach me how to make love. It's gonna be very hands-on!"

"Er… right," Elsa said uneasily. "Um…" She grabbed a cookie and toyed with it, turning it over in her hand over and over while her other hand went to her teacup, holding it but not picking it up.

"Yeah," said Merida, looking slightly green.

"Talk to each other," Rapunzel urged. "Get to know each other!"

"Right," Elsa said again. "Ah… so, Merida… I believe you have three brothers?"

"Yes," Merida said, relieved. "Triplets, coming up on ten years old. Right little sociopaths, like!"

Elsa chuckled. She and Merida smiled at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, then averted their eyes as one.

"I don't know what else I'm supposed to say," Merida said to Rapunzel apologetically. "Can't I just snog her?"

"Yeah, and you two can keep a lookout to make sure no one's coming," Elsa said enthusiastically.

"That doesn't sound like much of a date, ladies," said Rapunzel.

"Fine, fine, we'll talk," Merida said dismissively. "Elsa…"

Elsa tensed up at Merida's suddenly tender, sugary tone.

"Tell me about what happened at your coronation," Merida said softly. "I want to hear it from you."

Elsa was almost perfectly still now, and stiffer than ever. "That, uh… that is not first date material," she said uneasily. "Nor is it double-date material…" she added, waving vaguely at Anna and Rapunzel.

"This isn't a double-date…" Anna said in amusement.

"It's a double something," Elsa said sheepishly. "Maybe you'd be better off asking someone else, your highness."

"Don't call your date 'your highness'," Rapunzel muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, shush," Elsa muttered back, blushing a bit. "There are enough rules to keep track of already."

"I don't _want_ to hear it from someone else, your majesty," Merida said seriously. "Why would I want to hear about what someone _else_ went through during that time?"

Elsa's tension, and her flushed face, both intensified, and her hands began shaking. "I… I understand."

"Go ahead, then," said Merida. "I'll tell you every detail about how I almost tore _my_ kingdom apart if you'll do the same for me."

Elsa managed a grin at that, and the stiffness of her body seemingly melted away. "Perhaps another time… when we're alone."

"So many things I'd _rather_ save for when we're alone," Merida said, amused.

"I, well, ha ha, _wow_ …" Elsa stammered, still grinning. "That is _also_ not first date material."

"Oh, how would you know?" Merida grumbled.

"Call it a hunch," Elsa said sweetly. "Then again, neither is this, so…" Elsa gently brushed her fingers against Merida's face, turning it so she could plant a gentle kiss on Merida's lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Huh?" Merida said dreamily.

"For asking," Elsa clarified, still stroking Merida's face. "Taking an interest."

"Who, me? Ah, I'm sure lots of people have taken an interest in that story," said Merida. "It is, after all… interesting."

"Yeah, but… they want to know what _happened_ , not… what I went through, as you put it."

Merida nodded. "That's the only, single, solitary thing I've wanted to know for the past three days. What's on your mind, what you're feeling. It's usually written all over your face, but sometimes… not."

They stared at each other for several seconds, until Elsa blushed furiously and averted her gaze.

"Wow," she squeaked. "Your face… I don't think I'll ever get used to the way you look at me, Princess."

"Then it's gonna be a long day, your majesty," Merida said in a feathery whisper. "I could look at you all day long."

Elsa let out a small, strangled peeping sound before turning back to Merida, going in for another kiss, so eager that she was almost extending her tongue.

"Ooh, hang on, someone's coming…" Anna said sharply, looking up over Merida and Elsa's heads. Elsa quickly withdrew, and Merida pouted.

"It is…" Rapunzel muttered, following Anna's gaze. "Eugene! Yay, it's Eugene…"

Eugene came up to their table, leaning against it on interlaced fingers. "Hey, babe."

"Hey, honey," Rapunzel replied brightly. "What's up?"

"Apparently, the price of cigarettes," Eugene said solemnly. "It's all anybody can talk about in town. But that's not important right now. So, I've been talking to the captain of the guards here in Arendelle, just to see what I can learn from him, 'cause, you know, military and law enforcement being kind of an interest of mine…"

"Oh, I know all about that interest of yours, Eugene," Rapunzel giggled.

"You know it, baby. So, he tells me…" Eugene trailed off, his attention having been caught by Merida, who was covertly holding Elsa's hand and blissfully taking in the scent of her hair.

"What's this?" he said eagerly. "Is this what I think it is? Are you two like a couple now?"

Elsa's mind whirred for several seconds before she simply said, "Yes."

"That is fantabulous!" Eugene said gleefully. "Let me just state for the record that I, Prince Eugene of Corona, heartily approve of the romance between Queen Elsa and Princess Merida, and I especially support any and all graphic, public displays of affection that they might…"

Rapunzel kicked out at him playfully. "Eugene!"

Eugene laughed smugly. Rapunzel gazed at him lovingly and got to her feet to give him a gentle embrace and tender kiss.

Anna turned to Merida in confusion. "What was that all about?"

"Say you're a man, and you like gawking at women," said Merida. "What's sexier than gawking at one woman?"

"I guess gawking at two wom—ohhhhh! Okay."

"So, Eugene, you knew about this?" Rapunzel asked, nodding her head at Merida and Elsa, who had taken the chance to exchange a lengthy, gentle kiss, their lips pressed together and neither of them moving in the slightest apart from the rise and fall of their breath.

"Hey, yeah," Anna realized. "What happened to keeping it between the four of us?"

Elsa parted from Merida and slumped nervously. "I forgot that Eugene already knew. He was actually the first person I told."

Anna looked offended.

"All I told him was that Merida was making me question my sexuality," Elsa explained, baring her teeth in a plaintive grin.

"That's a pretty significant thing to tell someone," Anna grumbled.

"And then I went to tell _you_ right away, of course, Anna. I just wasn't thinking very clearly. So, it stays between the five of us."

"Oh, and my mum knows, of course," Merida supplied.

"Oh!" said Elsa. "Yes, I've discussed it with her. Six of us, then."

"Kristoff?" Anna asked.

Elsa blinked several times. "Er, yes, of course you can tell Kristoff. So… seven of us. But that's… that is it. This _is_ a secret. All… all right?"

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Well, here we are, 8th chapter, one every day, past a week that I've been doing this. Well, I'm feeling pretty satisfied so far. How about you?


	9. Day 3, Part 2

**AN:** Well, I assumed I'd be getting inspiration for all these empty Author's Notes based on what people are saying in reviews, but it seems I'm updating faster than my two lovely companions can review, and nobody else has seen this yet. _C'est la vie_. I'm sure I can keep this up.

 **Day 3, Part 2**

"Why, your majesty! I'm all too flattered."

A section of Arendelle Castle housed its soldiery, and behind it was a small archery range, not as well-equipped as Merida was accustomed to, but perfectly serviceable. She stood there beneath a darkening sky, her bow and quiver slung over her shoulder, laughing and striking a flirtatious pose, completely alone.

"You really think _I_ should be the one to teach you archery?" Merida said coquettishly to an empty space beside her. "You really think I'm the best archer in all the world? Well, when you're right, you're right, babe! I'll show you the ropes."

She mimed placing her hands on someone's hips, and resting her chin on the person's shoulder. "It just fills me with joy that you want to try this," she said slavishly. "It just makes my eyes wet… and seeing you with a bow makes somethin' else wet too. Now pull back like this…" She pretended to help her pull back on the bowstring.

"Boy, it's so great to be this close to you," she said raggedly. "Dear God, do I ever want to stick my tongue in some places… now fire! Loose that arrow, my darling! FWOOM!" She pretended to see the arrow soar off into the distance.

"Och, not to worry, my love," she said sympathetically. "Now, don't be discouraged! Och, don't say that, of course you can. It's just like making love, which you and I have done many, many times at this point in my fantasy…" She stood on tiptoe to kiss the imaginary Elsa on the cheek.

"Hello, _Merida_ ," a voice said darkly.

Merida jumped in surprise and fumbled with her bow, hastily aiming an arrow at the target and, blushing, refusing to look in the direction of the voice. "Hi, Anna," she said, more shrilly than she had intended.

"Hi!" Anna said cheerfully, having just come around the corner of the barracks. "I mean… hi," she corrected, resuming her dangerous tone.

Merida looked away from the target and blinked at Anna uncertainly. "'Sup?" she said to break the silence.

"Oh, I'll tell you 'sup."

"…Please do."

"Oh. Uh, right… sure…" Anna straightened, adjusted her dress, and cleared her throat. "Well, now that you're officially dating my sister…"

"Ooh, dating!" Merida said excitedly. "I like that word much better than 'courting', don't you? I used 'courting' to start with because it sounded formal and royal, and it kinda stuck, but it's just such a stiff and sexless word, really. Sorry, what were you saying?"

Anna blinked. "…You made me forget."

"Now that I'm officially dating your sister…" Merida prompted.

"Right! Yeah!" Anna said in relief. With a low growl, she continued, "Yeah… I want to know what your intentions are, young lady."

Merida looked her over, amused, lowering her bow and slipping the arrow back into her quiver. "Isn't it the lass's _older_ family members who are supposed to threaten the new paramour?"

"Well, Elsa doesn't _have_ any older family members," said Anna, "so it falls to me, her sister-heir, to pick up the slack in a situation like this."

"Sister-heir, I like that too! That's a cool title. Makes you sound badass."

"Well, keep in mind how badass you think I sound as I grill you about your intentions toward my sister," Anna declared. "Spill it."

"You want to know what I want from your sister?" said Merida, setting her bow and quiver aside. "Well, I'll tell you…"

"Ooh, are you going to sing?" Anna said eagerly, forgetting her menacing swagger once again.

"Oh, God no," said Merida, appalled. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Uh… I dunno. Go on."

"Right, right, sorry," said Merida. "My intentions toward your sister. Well… sequentially… first thing I want to do is get my hands on your sister's lovely… perky, pale, and perfect… queen-size boobies. And pull them right out of one of those slinky dresses she wears, and put my face between 'em and go BBBBBBB!" She shook her head back and forth rapidly, her eyes closed and making loud vibrations with her lips.

"Whoa," Anna breathed.

"And then, after that—we're talking hours or maybe even days after—I want to look into her face as the touch of my fingers makes her go, 'Uh! Uh! Uh!'" She rolled her eyes backward and dangled her tongue out of her mouth.

"Oh my God," Anna said in a strangled voice.

"And then I want to put a ring on her finger," Merida said, suddenly serious. "And maybe she puts one on mine too, I don't really know what the protocol is. Then we're gonna get married, and… I'm gonna love her 'til my dying day, if I can."

Anna's lip quivered, and her eyes widened, enchanted. "That's so beautiful!" she sobbed. "Welcome to the family." She threw herself upon Merida and hugged her tightly.

Merida chuckled. "Aww. I'm glad you approve, hot stuff." She reached down and squeezed Anna's bottom.

"Whoa!" Anna cried out, jumping backward. "Hey, not cool! You're dating my sister!"

"Sorry," Merida said casually, her smirk indicating that she wasn't remotely sorry. "Force of habit. I don't often hug a girl for innocent reasons. I'm usually shooting for… you know. I used to really get around. But your sister… no one I've ever been with has ever asked for or presumed any fidelity on my part, and Elsa's said nothing of the sort, but just by being her she… she demands it. She's the one."

Anna beamed. "She is the one, isn't she? That's so sweet. So… yeah. No going around squeezing other girls' butts."

Merida sighed. "That'll be an entirely new experience for me. But she is worth it."

"So… tell me," said Anna, fascinated. "All these heaps and heaps of other girls you've been with… can I hear some stories?"

"Well, I don't remember individual girls and occasions all that well," Merida admitted. "They kinda blend together… but sure, I'll try to whip out some stories sometime." She glanced up at the position of the sun. "Not right now, though. Your sister and I have plans to take a walk around the castle together, and I'm hoping to get some boob action before the day is over."

"What? Merida, it's your first day as a couple," Anna said in alarm.

Merida picked up her bow and arrow and slung them over her shoulder again. "I know. And I know I came on too strong at the beginning there, but… I think I can do it. I'm unbelievably seductive."

"Well, good luck," Anna said absently, following her gaze to the dipping sun. "Enjoy her boobs. Oh, hey, before you go…" She unbuttoned her dress slightly, revealing her cleavage and pressing her breasts together to emphasize it, looking at Merida beseechingly. "What do you think of _my_ boobs? Do you think Kristoff will like them? Give me your honest assessment. I know I already asked Rapunzel about this, but I would value the opinion of someone who actually likes boobs."

Merida looked over Anna's body with a discerning, calculating eye. "I think they're delightful," she said sincerely. "He'll love them with all his heart, if he doesn't already."

Anna looked down at her own chest. "Yeah… he's probably been looking forward to seeing them for ages!"

"They couldn't possibly disappoint him," said Merida. She saluted Anna and turned back toward the castle.

~0~0~0~

"Ah, there you are."

Merida emerged from her guest room, finding Elsa waiting for her in the hall.

"Yeah, sorry," Merida replied. "Was just putting some stuff back in my room before coming to find you."

"Excellent," Elsa said pleasantly. "So, a short nighttime stroll before bed?"

"Indeed, indeed…"

Merida's eyes instantly shot to Elsa's breasts, then her hands did too, enveloping them and ever so slowly beginning to squeeze them tighter and tighter.

Elsa's hands gently snaked up to Merida's, grabbing her by the wrists and pushing her hands away. "Not yet," she said gently, smiling. "Yeah. Not… yet."

"Really?" Merida said in disappointment, shooting a glance at Elsa's face then back to her chest. She pretended to fight against Elsa's grip, extending her fingers as far as she could and wiggling them, frantically trying to touch her again.

Her jest hit home, and Elsa giggled so hard that she snorted loudly, producing a puff of oversized snowflakes. "Gosh, you're funny," she said fondly.

Merida caught one of the snowflakes on her tongue, then licked her lips mischievously.

"And sexy," Elsa admitted. "I want to get to know you better and I'm really nervous about getting physical, but I just… can't… stop myself…" She spread her arms out to the sides, still holding Merida's wrists, and leaned in for a kiss.

At the last second, Merida deflected the kiss by standing up on her tiptoes, flicking the tip of Elsa's nose with her tongue as Elsa's lips bumped ineffectively against her chin.

"That's only natural," Merida said sweetly. "You can't stop wanting to kiss me because you've only just realized that you've _always_ wanted to kiss girls. You'll get used to it, take it from me."

Elsa beamed, and this time their lips did meet, ever so briefly, and Elsa released Merida's hands.

"Walk with me?" Elsa whispered.

"Gladly," Merida said faintly, her eyes fluttering with ecstasy.

As they walked together, Merida's eyes scanned Elsa's dress, which was purple and knee-length, and like most of her dresses was glossy, sparkly, and backed by a trailing cape.

"Well, I see you were right when you said you know about personal style," she said. "You've definitely narrowed yours down. I love the dresses you wear."

"Thank you," said Elsa, smiling. "I make all my own clothes."

"Really?"

"Well, not by hand… I mean, not really. Just… out of thin air. They're ice."

"Really?" Merida said again, looking more carefully at the dress. "That's amazing. I knew I feel a chill whenever I touch you, but I thought that was just you."

"No, my body isn't icy at all," said Elsa. "My body temperature is perfectly normal, pleasant even. You'll see soon enough." Realizing what she had just said, she blushed furiously. "I mean… you _might_ see… if… if you play your cards right… thaaaat's worse, that is naughty..."

Merida chuckled. "You're allowed to flirt with me, your majesty. We're dating now."

"Right," Elsa said hastily, calming herself. "Of course we are. 'Dating'. That sounds much more personal than 'courting'…"

"That's just what I said," Merida said gleefully. "So, what else can you make out of ice?"

"Without it actually _being_ ice? So far, just clothes. Just spangly, glittery, kinda skintight clothes. But I'm experimenting. I've tried generating food out of nothing… no good. It's just snow. Looks good, looks real, but it's always too cold, and not filling, and lowers your core temperature. Terrible."

She stopped, having reached her bedroom door.

"Well… here I am," she said awkwardly. "Um…"

Elsa turned to face Merida, and took both of her hands in her own.

"Tell me… one personal thing about yourself," said Elsa. "Something your girlfriend ought to know."

"That right?" Merida said thoughtfully. "Well, girlfriend, I'll have to take a moment… something short? Not sharing our big ruining-the-kingdom stories yet, right?"

"Right."

"Hrmm…" said Merida. "All right… okay, here's something I've never told anyone."

"Okay," Elsa said nervously.

"I dream of going on an African safari," said Merida. "I want to go hunting there. I've heard of the animals that can be found there, and I tell you, I hardly dare to believe that half of those that I've heard of are even real. I'd have some trophies to bring home that have never been seen in my country!"

"That does sound interesting," said Elsa. "Something completely new."

" _Completely_ new," Merida agreed. "Hell, I've never even seen a black person. Met some Chinese merchants once, but just about everybody else I've ever met has been northern European, and those people are all really, really white…"

"That's kind of by definition," Elsa said dryly.

"It gets old, is what I'm saying," said Merida, shrugging. "Be cool if there were more diversity in my social circle, you know. Open my mind a little."

"Oh, sure," Elsa agreed.

Merida beamed. "So… what's your personal thing?"

Elsa hastily withdrew her hands from Merida's at the sight of a guard passing by a perpendicular hallway. When he continued on his way instead of coming toward them, Elsa wrapped her arms around Merida's waist.

"Sorry about that," she said quickly. "Well, here's mine… when I was little, I thought… I thought I would be this really great athlete… but then I spent all those years shut up in my bedroom with no space to exercise, and I became this complete geek instead. My head is full of all this information about science and art… and, I haven't so much as gone for a jog since I started leaving my room. I'm too afraid to even try."

Merida tilted her head. "Why? Because you think you'll suck?"

"Pretty much."

"That's no reason not to do something, lass, that's a reason to do it over and over and over again, until you don't suck anymore," Merida said grandly. "Och, we're still young yet. We're so very, very young. We've got time to get these things done, yeah?"

"Yes, I suppose we do," said Elsa. She lowered her face toward Merida's, but pulled away and uneasily looked up and down the hall. "Um… would you care to step inside and say goodnight?"

"Gladly, your majesty," Merida said mischievously.

Elsa opened her door and gestured for Merida to enter. "Would you _try_ not to sound so naughty while we're out in the open?" she hissed, though she was grinning broadly.

Merida responded by blowing her a kiss as she passed her into the room. Elsa followed her and carefully closed the door, making absolutely sure it was secure before leaning against it, beaming at Merida, who smiled back.

"All right then," Elsa said softly. "I'd say we have a minute, maybe two, before 'saying goodnight' runs long enough to be suspicious… come here, you." She spread her arms.

Merida slowly approached and ran her hands up Elsa's stomach, all the way up to her shoulders, before hauling herself up for a kiss. Elsa embraced her tightly and kissed her back with more heat than they had ever exchanged before, crushing her lips as hard as she could.

"Oh, your majesty," Merida said passionately.

"The door is closed, sweetheart," Elsa mumbled into her mouth. "Call me by my name, won't you?"

"Sorry," Merida whispered. "Elsa."

"Mmmm," Elsa moaned, swirling her tongue around Merida's.

Merida responded by gnawing on Elsa's lower lip, then gently brushed her own lips down Elsa's chin and to her neck, nuzzling, licking, and biting.

"Oh, wow," Elsa gasped, her eyelids fluttering.

Merida's lips moved down from Elsa's neck to her chest, her love bites becoming gentle kisses as she traveled closer and closer to the neckline of Elsa's dress, which she was slowly pulling down with one finger.

Elsa jumped in surprise and, reflexively, shoved Merida away and rapidly opened the door, staring at the floor. "…Well, goodnight, Merida," she said in a high-pitched voice.

Merida winced apologetically and exited the room.

"This is…" Elsa muttered, not looking at her. "This is nice. I think this is going to grow into something… beautiful, and wonderful, and amazing."

Merida smiled at her. "I'm sure you have no idea. 'Night, Elsa."

Elsa closed the door, her hands shaking with nerves.

"Hmm," Merida remarked to herself, wandering away down the hall. "Not as much boob action as I would have hoped. …I didn't need it, I suppose. Nah, I really didn't. I've got all I need."

She passed in front of a huge window and gazed out at the starry sky.

"I love her," she realized. "God help me, I really do."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Well, let's see, I'm sure I can improvise something insightful and analytical about the events of the story… nope, no I can't.


	10. Day 4

**AN:** So, we've crossed something of a threshold now, with the first three days of the story past us, all the inciting incidents gone, and now it's just kind of… life. That's kind of how I do fanfic. There's a lot more slice of life than there is plot. That's just kind of how I do. When I see characters just lounging around enjoying each other's company, it's like, I get that that can't last long, because we have to get the story going, but man… I'd sure like those scenes to last longer, to see more of what these characters do when there's no crisis, because it's so interesting and so much fun.

 **Day 4**

Elinor entered the library in Arendelle Castle, a scroll tucked under her arm, her eyes and ears scanning the entire tower. Soon, she heard what she had expected, and made her way to a bookshelf in a secluded corner.

"Shh! Someone's coming," a voice hissed.

Elinor saw movement between two books, a blue eye peering out from behind the shelf before disappearing.

"Och, it's just my mum," Merida said dismissively.

Elinor made her way around the shelf, coming upon Elsa and Merida, sitting side-by-side on tiny stools in the remotest corner of the library. Merida had her arms wrapped tightly around Elsa's middle, and her open mouth pressed peculiarly against the side of her head.

"Queen Elsa," Elinor said casually, as though she saw nothing unusual, "might I bend your ear for a moment? Once you've gotten my daughter's tongue out of it, of course."

Merida withdrew her tongue from Elsa's ear. "Not a problem," she said. "I'll stick me tongue somewhere else." She gently forced Elsa's face toward her and thrust her tongue into her mouth.

Elsa recoiled. "Augh!" she cried out, coughing. "Earwax…"

"Well, yeah," Merida said condescendingly, smirking. "I'm not swirling my tongue around in your ear for me health, your majesty. It's a sacrifice for your benefit."

"…Much appreciated," Elsa said delicately, wrinkling her nose. "What can I help you with, Queen Elinor?"

Elinor held up her parchment. "I thought we could discuss trade and peace."

"Oh," said Elsa. "Oh, right! Because you're here as a delegation for… for that sort of thing. Right. _Not_ just here to drop off a make-out buddy for me…"

"We'll call the make-out buddy my opening offer," Elinor said, amused.

Elsa stood, smoothed out her dress, and followed Elinor out into the library.

"Just so you know," Elsa said nervously, "the ear and the mouth are absolutely the _only_ places she's stuck her tongue…" She winced. "You didn't have to know that, why did I even…? Well, what sort of arrangement did you have in mind?"

They stood face to face. Elinor was, like most women, shorter than Elsa, but Elsa still found herself unduly intimidated in her presence, almost feeling the need to bend her knees so she would be looking up at the older queen.

"Well, DunBroch can definitely benefit from some of Arendelle's technology," said Elinor, tactfully ignoring Elsa's stumbling. "Stone streets would be beneficial to our own domestic trade. Also… clocks. How do they work?"

"I, uh, don't know, your majesty," Elsa admitted. "But I can certainly send over some clock-makers and road-builders to get those started and teach their craft to your own craftsmen. I'm sure some volunteers can be found for that."

"Also… forgive me… would it be too much to ask for some soldiers?" Elinor asked delicately. "A lot of people seem to like invading Scotland for whatever reason, and having some soldiers with a bit more finesse than ours as far as equipment and tactics would definitely leave us feeling quite a bit safer."

"Certainly," said Elsa. "That can be arranged as well. The only condition I can think of just now is that, if you could send them back, along with some of your own, perhaps, if there ever comes a time that we need an army more than you do…"

"Of course," said Elinor, making a note. "Now that that's been established… what can DunBroch do for you?"

Elsa blinked. "Um… uh… I-I don't really know. What have you got?"

"Crops? Armaments? Siege equipment?" Elinor suggested. "Well, maybe not the siege equipment…"

"Not a lot of sieges going on around here," Elsa agreed. "Um… anything else?"

"…Athletes?" Elinor said vaguely. "If Arendelle's sports teams aren't up to snuff, we can lend you some of ours."

Elsa chuckled. "It's a thought. Okay… well, I'm receptive to anything you can offer. You'd have to discuss it with my council of advisors, they'll know the specifics of what we could really use right now. The master of agriculture, and the master of… of… whoever else is on the council."

Elinor raised an eyebrow.

"I'm still pretty new to the queen thing, okay?" Elsa said sheepishly. "As far as I know, Arendelle is perfectly prosperous and doesn't want for anything. It seems unlikely, I know we must have need of something, but I just don't know what."

"Well, don't neglect the time you need to take to learn all of that," said Elinor. "There's no need to rush into it, but make sure that you do know as much as you possibly can."

"Of course, your majesty," said Elsa, bowing her head. "All I can do is aspire to be a queen of your caliber."

"You can do a whole lot more than aspire, lass," Elinor said sternly. "All it takes is the effort."

"Then… then I will join you to discuss with the council what DunBroch can do for Arendelle," Elsa said confidently, standing up taller and speaking more clearly. "I'll find out what my people need. For me, personally, the first offer you put on the table was more than enough." She gestured at Merida, who was leaning against a bookshelf and waved at them when she saw them look in her direction.

"Oh," Elsa added quietly, "and you have my assurance that our alliance will be very real and binding whether or not it ends up being sealed my marriage."

"What are you saying?" said Elinor. "That you might not marry my daughter? Why would you even say that? She's delightful company and an amazing kisser. All the young ladies in DunBroch say so."

Elsa giggled. "That she is. There's definitely nothing I can think of to stop the marriage from happening, but… you never know, that's all. As far as my opinion of her goes, I'm crazy about her. But I will have to float the idea by the people of Arendelle as a whole. You understand, I'm sure. Regardless…" She bowed again. "May our alliance stand strong."

"Thank you very much, your majesty," said Elinor, rolling up the parchment. She beamed at Elsa and bowed back. "Well… you can get back to what you were doing, then, I suppose."

"Right," Elsa said nervously. "Because when you got here, I was… what was I doing?"

"I believe you were canoodling with my daughter."

"Right!" Elsa said again. "Yes. I will… go back to that, if you don't mind." She went red and forced a wide grin.

Elinor snickered. "Go get her, lass."

~0~0~0~

Rapunzel paced around Anna, who was flat on her back in the middle of her bedroom floor, her legs spread wide.

"So, you with me so far?" said Rapunzel.

"Sure am," Anna said nervously.

"I've talked you through all the foreplay."

"Yup."

"And now… here we are. Can you picture it?"

"Sure can," Anna squeaked. "I've got a pretty good imagination…"

"So it's begun," Rapunzel said grandly.

"Mm-hmm."

"He is… inside you."

"Yeah, he sure is…"

"What do you do?" Rapunzel whispered.

"Um… lie back and think of Arendelle?"

"What? No…"

"I'm kidding," Anna laughed. "I go like this"—she rolled her eyes back in her head and lolled her tongue out—"'cause it's the best thing ever."

"Well, sure," said Rapunzel, grinning. "But what do you actually _do_?"

Anna furrowed her brow and thought hard about it. "I… _don't_ just lie there?"

"No," Rapunzel said firmly, though she was smiling. "No, you don't."

"Then I don't know," Anna said blankly.

"Yes you do." Rapunzel knelt down and placed a fingertip on Anna's forehead. "Dig deep inside your mind. It's there. Instinct, every human has it. We eat, we find a place to sleep, we make babies. It's all we really _need_ to know. We all know how, if we can only find it. Imagine yourself in this situation and give in to that moment. Don't think. Just _do_. What do you do?"

Anna closed her eyes and breathed slowly, concentrating hard on what she was imagining. Soon, she started doing pelvic thrusts with a little twirl, and after a few seconds actually gave a little moan of pleasure.

Rapunzel quickly withdrew her hand. "Okay, this is really awkward, I don't know what I was thinking," she mumbled, standing up and edging for the bedroom door.

Anna sat up. "No, come back! Was that wrong?"

Rapunzel turned back to her, smiling sadly. "It was exactly right. When he makes love to you, you love him right back. It's so much better that way. I'm just not sure such hands-on lessons were such a good idea."

"No!" Anna exclaimed. "Please keep teaching me. I need this. Like, before you told me and kinda demonstrated, I'd had no idea that it actually involved a constant in-and-out thrusting motion. I'd always assumed he got in there and then we just kinda hung out like that."

Rapunzel blinked at her, disbelieving.

"Well, how would I know?" Anna said defensively. "Nobody ever told me, or taught me, it's… generally not something that gets taught. It should be! I'd had _no idea_ how unprepared I was until you started preparing me. And I'm sure there's still a lot more I need to know before I dive in… uh, so to speak. You _are_ gonna stay for a couple of months and teach me, right?"

Rapunzel walked back to her and knelt down on the ground, bringing them to the same eye level. "Of course I will," she said tenderly. "I promised I would. Or… did I? I don't know if I did. Well, I'll do it now: I promise, I will stay here as long as you need me to. And when I make a promise, I never break that promise. It's a horrible vice, really."

Anna giggled. "Thanks, cousin. You're the greatest."

"No, Anna, _you're_ the greatest."

~0~0~0~

Elsa peered around a corner into a darkened and deserted castle corridor. "All right, we're clear," she said, leading Merida into the corridor by the hand. "Oh, this'll be perfect. Nobody _ever_ comes into this wing. We'll have hours of privacy here if we can find a room…"

Merida's eyes were firmly on the back of Elsa's head as she followed. "Is it wrong that I love this?" she said.

"Love what?"

"Sneaking around," Merida said softly. "Finding secret hidden places to make out."

Elsa turned back to her. "Do we have to make out? Don't we need to develop our relationship a little bit? We can't really do _anything_ romantic while we're keeping this a secret. Maybe we should sort of… romance each other? We only have so much private time…"

"By all means, we can just talk," Merida said graciously. "I love to pick your brain."

"Not _just_ talk," Elsa said hastily. "We can hold hands… cuddle… I like touching you." She stroked Merida's cheek. "It still amazes me that I can touch people at all…"

"Holding hands, cuddling, I like it," said Merida. "We can start from the bottom of the snogging scale and work our way up to, oh, about a six and three-quarters, maybe a bit of seven…"

"No seven," Elsa said flatly. "You've exceeded your allowance of touching my breasts. For now, anyway."

"Ach," Merida lamented. "Well, that's disappointing. Though I'm thrilled that you knew what I was talking about."

"Of course," Elsa said brightly. "I'm surprised _you_ made that reference."

"I read," Merida said pompously. "Sometimes I even read actual books."

Elsa snorted. "If you can call the Georgia Nicolson books 'actual books'."

"Very formative to me when I was blossoming into a woman," said Merida. "It's true what she says, you know. Love truly is a many-trousered thing."

"That it is, Merida. That it is." Elsa continued searching the corridors for an empty room, fiddling one-handed with door handles as her other hand was still interlaced with Merida's. She turned back to find that Merida was staring at her admiringly. "What?"

"Just excited," said Merida, giving the dark room a cursory glance before returning her focused gaze to Elsa. "I don't really care what we do. It's secret and we're keeping it hidden, and that is dead sexy."

"My God, your eyes," Elsa said in disbelief.

"What about them?" Merida teased.

"…Well, they're beautiful, first of all," said Elsa, stumbling over the words as she forced herself to maintain eye contact. "I've been obsessed with them since the moment we met. But also that you're looking at me like I'm a delicious sandwich."

"You're not a sandwich, Elsa," Merida chuckled affectionately. "You're the finest steak."

"Gee, thanks," Elsa grumbled. "You're more of a cheese-steak yourself."

Merida laughed wildly as Elsa led her into a small room, closing the door behind them.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Didja catch that earlier bit about roads and clocks? Yeah, it's pretty much like 11th-century Scotland is interacting with 19th-century Norway, only without any actual time travel. Kind of a weird way to do things, yeah, but it seemed the only way to be faithful to every film's setting but having them cross over anyway. Although diplomatic envoys that travel through time might have been a cool way to do it too… but, no, not gonna do that. Maybe I'll do that in some other story.


	11. Day 5

**AN:** You may or may not have had the thought at this point, and if you haven't yet you might later, that I'm some lonely nerd who's just depicting women the way I wish or think that women talk to each other. Not so much. I am an engaged man, and not only that but a man who has immense difficulty relating to my own gender; I'd say 90% of the people I know well are women, and once I get to know them well, either because I'm "one of the gals" or because I'm so unobtrusive they forget I'm there, yeah, eventually girl-talk does swing into exactly the direction most of this fic's conversations do; any exaggerating I'm doing is minimal.

Of course, you'd probably know that if you weren't a hypocrite of some sort, because the only way you'd think this was some kind of male fantasy with no basis in the way real women talk is if you yourself have no experience with women, so, there you go.

Of course, to say _that_ is a generalization about all women, so I can't do that. Maybe none of the women _you_ know would ever talk like this, that's perfectly plausible even though most of the women I know do so to varying degrees. One can truly never make generalizations. And, to be fair, I am deliberately writing Anna as a kook who occasionally voices thoughts that no one would ever actually say, so there's that as well.

 **Day 5**

Elsa yawned as she made her way down the castle steps to breakfast. She found Anna and Rapunzel sitting on a bench in one of the halls; she was so sleepy and bleary-eyed that it took her a moment to notice that both of them bore guitars on their knee.

"Don't you two ever sleep?" Elsa said blankly, rubbing her eyes.

"We've tried," said Anna. "But when we're asleep, we miss each other too much!"

"This is true," Rapunzel chuckled.

"Rapunzel's teaching me the guitar," Anna said, pointing them out unnecessarily. "In exchange, I'm gonna teach her to ride a bike… because that's literally the only thing I know how to do that she doesn't already."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," Rapunzel assured her. "Growing up in the tower, I had a lot of spare time for learning how to do things. But no bike. I asked for one, but, as was pointed out to me—and rightly, because even villains can have a point sometimes—we lived in a little tower and didn't have the square footage to make riding a bike worth it. For some reason, the counterpoint that a young girl shouldn't be kept in a small, doorless tower never really occurred to me."

There was a heavy silence as the two sisters stared at her in discomfort, neither having any idea what to say.

"…I'm also not wearing shoes," Anna finally said, awkwardly attempting a grin and extending one of her bare feet. "'Cause Rapunzel doesn't wear shoes."

There was more silence.

"It's true, I don't," Rapunzel said in a hollow voice.

Silence.

"Sorry," said Rapunzel with a sheepish smile. "I know it ruins the atmosphere every time I mention the tower, but that was my entire world until like two years ago, and I have to talk about _something_ …"

"What you have to talk about is a whole lot better than what I have to talk about," said Elsa. "At least you had hobbies."

"That's true," said Rapunzel, casually playing a little riff on the guitar before looking up at Elsa. "'39 was a big year for both of us, eh cousin? We both became free." She held up a hand for a high-five, which Elsa gave her awkwardly.

Anna rubbed Rapunzel's back comfortingly. "Well… I know where we're biking now."

"We're not just gonna ride around the castle?" said Rapunzel. "It's certainly big enough."

"While you're learning," Anna agreed. "But once you've picked it up… we're gonna take our bikes up to the spot where Hans proposed to me."

"Why would you do a thing like that?" Elsa said in alarm.

"Because it's a nice place, and I've been avoiding it for a long time, and just so long as we're revisiting painful memories…" Anna shrugged. "I should too."

Elsa nodded, understanding "So… what have you two actually been _doing_ all this time? This was supposed to be a diplomatic mission, you know."

They stared at her in alarm.

"Right," Rapunzel said slowly. "Right, yes. While we're biking, let's you and me talk about international trade."

"What about it?" Anna said blankly.

Rapunzel blinked at her. "I… I don't even know how to answer that. Just, it in general, I guess."

"You don't know anything about the office you hold, do you?" Elsa said wryly.

"Well, come on, it's not like 'Princess' is a _real_ office…" said Anna, smirking.

"Oh, it's not, is it?" Rapunzel teased. "Then what have I been doing ever since I got back home? I'll have you know I work like a dog. If dogs had intellectual and moral considerations instead of manual labor. But those are exhausting too!"

"You want me to hire a tutor who can teach you about economics?" Elsa asked Anna playfully.

"Yes, please," Anna replied in a squeaky voice, looking embarrassed.

"Well, I'll get to that," said Elsa. "For now, I'll leave you to it. Rapunzel, let's you and I be the ones to talk about the trade arrangements."

"Certainly," said Rapunzel, nodding vigorously.

"And don't feel bad," she told them. "I'd forgotten too, why we were all here, until Merida's mom called me out. Heh… sort of awkward…"

They all stood and sat in silence for a moment, this time more peaceful than awkward.

"Maybe I could bike somewhere with Merida," Elsa said softly. "And take her to a place that's painful to me. Maybe not both at once, though… I'm thinking maybe I can take her to look at the ice castle on the North Mountain. Just see it from the base of the mountain, maybe. Maybe… tell her the story."

"So many 'maybes', Elsa," Rapunzel chided, grinning. "Try to throw in a 'definitely' in there somewhere."

"Okay," said Elsa with unease. "I'm _definitely_ terrified of Merida finding out what happens when I sneeze. 'Cause that's really weird. Or maybe I should get it out of the way as early as possible, see if it's a dealbreaker or not. That… that was another 'maybe', wasn't it?"

"Yup," Anna chirped. "It's okay, Elsa. I know you're really uncertain about all this Merida stuff. But you're also really thrilled too, aren't you?"

"Uh, yes," she said, surprised. "Yes, I am, both excited and unsure. How did you know? What does it mean?"

"Just means you're dating somebody, is all," said Anna, punctuating it with a guitar chord which lingered in the air. "Was that a real chord?" she asked Rapunzel.

"Eh, no."

"I am," Elsa realized. "I'm dating. I'm dating Princess Merida."

"You sure are!" said Anna, beaming.

"Gosh, I wonder where she is right now?" Elsa muttered, eyeing the door to the dining hall. "I like what you two are doing, teaching each other things. It's sweet. I should do that with her. Apparently, she's just crazy about archery! Maybe I can let her teach me that, and I… I can teach her to ice skate! Unless she already knows how. Gosh, I hope she doesn't. Then I wouldn't have anything to teach her."

"You love geometry, you could teach her that," said Anna, straight-faced.

"Yeah, that's romantic," Elsa said, smirking.

"Ahhh, I love that word," Anna said dreamily. "'Romantic'. I don't think I've ever heard you say it before." She giggled and jittered uncontrollably in her seat. "It's just so amazing! You have romance in your life!"

"Yup," Elsa agreed. "Pretty shocking swerve in the direction of things. Your dear sister hasn't had this much character development in a week since coronation day." Elsa stared off into space. "I miss her," she marveled. "I miss her _so_ much. Isn't that crazy? We've been dating for all of two days, I _just_ saw her last night before bedtime, and yet… I miss her. I'm gonna go find her." She departed without another word.

"What happens when she sneezes?" Rapunzel inquired.

"She creates life," Anna said gravely. "It's pretty much like when God sneezes."

"Wow."

"Yup."

"So, talking of character development… you're losing your virginity tomorrow." Rapunzel's fingers skipped up and down the neck of her guitar as she played a rapid sequence of chords. "How's that feel?"

"Scary," Anna admitted, plucking a single string which was plainly out of tune.

"Naturally," said Rapunzel. "What else?"

"Exciting," said Anna, biting her lip eagerly. "I mean, I'm _so_ ready for this."

"I know you are," said Rapunzel, as she launched into playing an actual song.

~0~0~0~

"Oh, there you are," said Elsa, finding Merida coming down the hall from her guest room.

"Yeah," said Merida. "Late start. I was up late reading this crazy-good book." She held up a fairly thick red-and-gold volume. "Went into town very early in the morning yesterday to hit a bookshop… this was before our little snog that morning, naturally. If I'd known you had a castle library I wouldn't have gone that far… but, anyway, I started reading it last night and I couldn't put it down."

" _A Man of Iron_?" said Elsa, glancing at the title. "I think I've heard of it. What's it about?"

"Well, it's about this super-rich bloke who makes and sells magical weapons," Merida said, thumbing through the book's early pages. "'Til one day he heads into this warzone, gets himself captured, and finds out the bad guys use his weaponry too. He crafts an enchanted amulet and implants it in his chest, and uses it to power a suit of knightly armor to make his escape. Now he's back home in his workshop makin' a new set… I'm thinkin' he plans to battle the opposition personally."

"That sounds… thrilling," Elsa said in a hushed voice. "And that spot you've bookmarked… that's a pretty long way into the book for having picked it up last night."

Merida beamed. "Well, I was eager to have a chance to talk about some _real_ reading with you."

"Oh?" Elsa said playfully. "Taking an interest in my… interests, I guess? How very courtly of you. I'd say that's earned you a kiss."

She cupped Merida's face in one hand and kissed her gently on the lips.

"I do like to earn it," Merida said smugly.

"In all fairness, it doesn't take much," said Elsa. After a moment, her contented smile was replaced by panic and she looked wildly around. "Oh, God, did anyone see that?"

"Elsa, relax," said Merida, taking her by the hand and gently stroking it with her thumb.

Elsa took a few calming breaths and settled down, looking down at the hand Merida was gently cradling in her own.

"This is nice," Elsa said quietly. "I don't care if anyone sees _this_."

"I don't care if the whole world is watchin'," Merida replied tenderly.

Elsa adjusted her hand, interlacing her fingers with Merida's. They looked deeply into each other's eyes for several minutes.

"God, you're good-lookin'," Merida breathed. "You know that? It's actually ridiculous."

Elsa nodded shakily. "I don't know if you're _actually_ the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, or if I'm just… 'into' you. Either way, you're a joy to look at."

"A joy," Merida repeated. "Hehe. Always figured I was _nice_ to look at, but…"

"No," Elsa said firmly. "A joy."

Merida grinned. "You're too kind, your majesty."

~0~0~0~

"Wheeeeee!"

Anna skated around the castle courtyard under a starry sky. Elsa had covered the area in ice as she often did, and illuminated it with great orbs of ice that gave off a warm bluish-green light.

"What a lovely evening!" Anna sang, turning her face to the sky and her arms spread wide. "And Kristoff comes home tomorrow and you know what that meeeeeans…"

She came to a stop in front of Elsa, Rapunzel, and Merida, who were leaning against one wall, the rest of the courtyard largely empty but for a few unobtrusive guards from all three nations, keeping a watchful distance from their charges.

Elsa smiled at Anna and took her place in the rink, taking advantage of the unoccupied space, skating in her normal shoes as she always did. Anna slipped out of her skates and joined the other two leaning against the wall.

"I think your sister's been missing the obvious hints of what it _does_ mean," Merida said dryly. "You want me to tell her?"

"Meh, I'll tell her after," said Anna. "It's good she hasn't caught on… I want her to stay focused on _you_ for now."

Merida winked. "I won't tell her you're boinking your boyfriend tomorrow if you don't tell her I'm madly in love with her."

Anna squealed. "Are you really? Oh my gosh! You've got a deal…"

"When are you going to tell her?" said Rapunzel.

"The morning after," Anna said decisively. "I'm sure I won't be able to keep it secret for even a moment."

"Not you," Rapunzel said seriously, staring pointedly at Merida.

Merida shrugged. "The time will come. I have to take things slow with Elsa. I'm not complaining."

Elsa finished her lap around the courtyard and skidded to a stop. "Take things slow?" she inquired. "I appreciate that, you know. I appreciate you very much. And I don't want to frustrate you…" Her eyes darted all over Merida's body. "It frustrates me too. Hrmm, do you suppose we could dismiss our guards? Have a chance to talk about this openly in this nice secluded area? And… other things?"

"On it," said Rapunzel. She turned and called across the courtyard, "Gentlemen? You're dismissed for the night."

The Corona guards looked at each other in surprise. "Dismissed, Princess Rapunzel?" one of them said uncertainly.

"And that goes for you too," Merida added. "Don't ya fret. You've seen Queen Elsa's magic, I take it? She can protect us. Get yourselves to bed."

"I insist," Elsa concluded, her voice quieter than the other two but even more carrying.

"Well, all right," the Corona guard said, shrugging. "Stay safe, your highnesses… your majesty."

The guards, slightly under a dozen of them, turned and headed into the castle.

"Merida, kiss me," Elsa ordered.

"Right away, your majesty," Merida said sweetly, sauntering over and wrapping her arms around Elsa's waist, giving her a rather loud, wide-open-mouthed smooch. "Mmmmm," Merida moaned.

"Mmm!" Elsa squeaked back.

When they parted, Merida tilted her head in curiosity and gently brushed Elsa's face with a finger. "Is this a tear?"

"Um… yeah," said Elsa, looking firmly at her own shoulder. "It happened the first time we kissed too."

"Passion," Rapunzel whispered.

"Either that, or the haggis on your breath."

Merida snorted so hard that she actually expelled snot from her nose, wiping it on her sleeve as she laughed uncontrollably. "That was… unexpected," she choked out.

"I actually have no idea what haggis is," Elsa admitted. "Could be perfectly delicious for all I know."

"It's… it's all right, I guess," said Merida. "You'll have to try some when you find yourself in my kingdom."

"I look forward to it," said Elsa, producing a handkerchief from within her dress and finishing wiping Merida's nose. She gazed up at the sky. "Mmm… you were right, Anna, it is unusually nice out this evening. Excellent for spending time with… with your friend, and… and… and my sweetheart."

Merida waggled her eyebrows at her.

"This is nice and all," said Elsa, poking Merida's nose. "But we can't just hang out and flirt all day. At some point, we _will_ have to return to our royal duties."

"Meh, I hate those," Merida grumbled. "But such is life. How's my face?"

"Clean."

"Fantastic." She kissed Elsa tenderly.

"Booger-breath," Elsa teased.

"Yeah, well, you're… cold," Merida countered, giving Elsa's breasts a quick squeeze and withdrawing her hands before Elsa could move to stop her. "Yup. Cold as… well, pretty much exactly what they are."

Elsa laughed. "I'm not a witch."

"Cold as a… sorceress's…? Meh, that's not as catchy."

"Psst!" Rapunzel hissed. "Lay off on the insults. That's not flirty."

"They're not insults!" Elsa said defensively. "It's just… it's just playful ribbing."

"Yeah!" Merida said brightly. "Ribbing." Her hands thrust out unexpectedly and began tickling Elsa's ribs. Elsa shrieked and frantically batted her away, laughing hysterically.

"You're naughty," said Elsa, poking her nose again. She tickled Merida back, and got no reaction. "And apparently not remotely ticklish."

"Nope," Merida said proudly, thrusting out her chest. "Not a bit."

Leering suspiciously, Elsa drove her hands upward into Merida's armpits.

"Eep!" Merida squealed, fighting back through uncontrollable giggles. "Okay… okay… quit it!"

"Just had to find the right spot," Elsa said smugly.

"Just… don't disparage each other so much," Rapunzel cautioned. "Granted: major 'pot calling the kettle black' moment, considering all the ribbing that goes on in my marriage, but… this early in the relationship, you run the risk of undermining each other's confidence. Just be nice to each other, okay?"

"Hmm," Elsa said thoughtfully, glancing at Rapunzel then turning back to Merida. "Do you think that's true?"

"I like our little jokes," said Merida. "But maybe she's right. It's nice making you laugh, but I think I'd rather build you up."

"I agree," said Elsa, her eyes traveling up and down Merida's body again before lingering on her face. "Swirly tongue kiss?"

"You bet," said Merida, grasping Elsa by the back of her head and kissing her passionately.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** I am running out of things to say, I hope somebody catches up so we can interact in these… ooh, I know, I'm gonna tell the authors of the Elsa/Merida fanfic "Love Will Thaw" how much that work inspired this one, and see if they're interested in taking a look.

Hmm. Two years since the last activity on their profile. Dang it, I hate when that happens. One's inclination is always that a new fanfic you've found is, in fact, new, then you notice that not only was it actually written some time ago, but the author hasn't been seen in years. Well, I'm gonna try it anyway. Can't hurt. I regularly send a message out to Nina-D-Lux, author of the most famous of the many, many stories titled "Disney High", telling her that even though it's been well over three years, I'm still holding out hope that she returns to finish the story someday. She's so close to the ending. So, same principle here by reaching out to Sy Itha. Only a bit more self-indulgent.

Ugh, "Love Will Thaw" has ten times as many reviews as it has chapters, and "Disney High" has _thousands_. What have they got that I don't got? With every story, I struggle to get my review count to _equal_ my chapter count. With every art piece, I never get one single comment. I _know_ I don't deserve it, I _know_ I don't suck that much, so why am I still the schmuck of the whole world, lucky to get a tenth as much feedback as _literally everyone else_ gets? Agh, sorry. Very old resentment. Haven't had these thoughts in ages, but I see they still exist.


	12. Day 6, Part 1

**AN:** So, I'm writing this coming off of a huge _My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic_ fic being the only thing I've been able to write consistently for about five years, and as I finally begin branching out a bit, that fic still sticks with me a bit. Sometimes I'll be writing Anna dialogue for this story, and listening to the voice in my head, and realizing, that doesn't sound much like Kristen Bell… no, that's Pinkie Pie. I keep inadvertently writing Anna as if I'm writing Pinkie Pie.

Well, hey, why not, Anna's an adorkable goofball, it fits fairly well. It's actually kind of intriguing, because it's a very different writing experience, since Pinkie in my big giant fic is portrayed as semi-asexual, so writing Anna with the motivations I gave her here is kind of like writing that exact same character but as a very sexual being rather than an almost entirely non-sexual one, with that major change making surprisingly little difference. Well, _I_ think it's intriguing.

 **Day 6, Part 1**

In the archery range with dusk fast approaching, an arrow slowly flew in an arc, hitting the stone wall almost ten feet above the target.

"Dang it," Elsa grumbled. She pulled back on the bowstring again, conjuring an arrow made of ice out of nowhere. She loosed it and, guided by her magic, the icy arrow flawlessly hit the target dead center.

"'Kay, that's pretty good," Merida admitted. "But you really should learn how to do it the real way, babe. Even super-powered beings should learn to do things right. There's no downside to that."

"…Babe?" Elsa said uneasily.

"May I call you babe?" Merida asked hastily. "I just wanted… 'cause… I sure hope so." She gave Elsa a sidelong hug, resting her head on her shoulder. "'Cause you're such a babe. You know?"

Elsa blushed furiously. "Aw… sure you can call me babe, uh… honey? Do you like 'honey'? Sweetie?"

"Whatever you want to call me, babe," said Merida.

Elsa turned her head to kiss Merida. Merida promptly slipped her tongue into Elsa's mouth, and Elsa responded ravenously, bending Merida backward until she was barely on her feet, kept upright only by Elsa's embrace.

When they parted several minutes later, drool was running down both of their faces, and a line of it connected them for a few seconds before snapping audibly.

"That was…" Merida muttered, dazed.

"Sloppy," Elsa finished, smirking wryly.

Merida wiped her mouth with her sleeve, then with her other sleeve she wiped Elsa's. "Loved it."

Elsa looked around. "There's no way in hell that nobody saw that…"

"What if I don't care who sees us?" Merida challenged.

"Then you're a braver woman than I am, but we already knew that," Elsa said simply. Casually, she whipped out another arrow and took a shot; it missed the target. "How the heck did it go so far left?!" Elsa demanded, waving a hand in exasperation. "I was aiming straight at it…"

"I'll show you." Merida ran her hands all over Elsa's body, getting her in a proper archery stance, kissing her cheek and nibbling her ear as she did so.

"Unh…" Elsa moaned, her eyelids fluttering as Merida ran her tongue along the side of her neck. "Merida… you're so naughty. I won't even need to come out, will I? Eventually everybody will just know."

"Whatever means I can touch and kiss you every minute of the day instead of just when we're alone," Merida whispered in her ear. She stepped back. "There you go—just like that. Don't change your posture at all, just shoot."

Elsa tensed up, resisting the urge to disobey. "Are you sure?"

"Yup. Go for it."

She took another shot, which flew off to the side. "Now where did I go wrong that time?" she said pitifully.

"A bit too much flourish in your release," Merida said wisely. "Let's try another." She picked an arrow from the quiver on Elsa's back and kissed her all down her jawline while nocking it into the bow. "I didn't mean it, you know," she said. "I respect that you want us kept secret."

"Good," Elsa whispered. "Thank you."

"It's a pretty new experience for me, that's all," said Merida, running a hand down Elsa's arm, "being secretive about who I'm with. It's also new to me that we haven't slept together yet… but I'm cool with that too."

Elsa's cheeks went pink. "I appreciate that, sweetie. Not to worry… it won't be long before I'm ready to go public, I'm sure."

"And ready to go to bed with me?" Merida said with a pleading pout.

Elsa's entire face went very, very red at that, and ice began to form over the bow. "Soon," she said squeakily. "Soon, I'm sure." She shook the hand that grasped the bow, clearing the ice away. "The last thing I want is to leave you hanging."

Following the guidance of Merida's gentle touch, Elsa took another shot, which stuck to the target, well below the bull's-eye.

"Good enough for me!" Elsa said brightly.

Merida laughed. "Excellent job, babe."

Elsa gave the bow a little twirl. "I _am_ a babe. Chicks with bows are hot stuff." She tenderly ran her hands through Merida's hair.

~0~0~0~

Kristoff entered the castle's front doors dressed in crusted clothes, his back loaded with travelling supplies.

"Kristoff!" Anna squealed.

She came out of nowhere and leapt upon him, kissing him as passionately as she had when he had departed. Better prepared for it this time, he eagerly responded in kind, grabbing her from behind and lifting her up.

While they kissed, Anna covertly unbuttoned her dress a bit, and when they finally parted, she slipped one shoulder out of the dress as she looked up at him.

"As promised," she said. "That again, and more." She stood on tiptoe and whispered four words in his ear before taking a step back to see his reaction.

He swallowed hard. "Um… we are?"

"We sure are," said Anna. "That's been the plan since Monday night."

"Er… well…" He anxiously fiddled with his shirt collar. "Why, uh, wasn't I informed earlier?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she said, almost dancing with glee now. "Whatcha think?"

"Well, I always… assumed…" he muttered to himself. "When are you planning…?"

"Tonight," Anna said confidently.

"Tonight?" he said in horror.

She edged closer and finger-walked up his arm toward his shoulder. "Maybe even _right now_ …"

Kristoff gulped again. "Right now sounds… great."

"Good, because after planning this all week I would _die_ if I had to wait another minute," Anna said passionately.

"Well, I definitely don't want you to die," he said awkwardly, looking at all the gear he was still carrying. "So… will you just be accompanying me to my room then?"

"Yeah," said Anna, leading him down the hallway, arm in arm. "I'll help you get out of all of that. …All of it."

On their way down the halls, they crossed paths with Elsa and Merida.

"Hi, Kristoff," said Elsa.

"Hey," he said numbly, anything else he may have wanted to say fading away as Anna ushered him out of sight.

"…Huh," Elsa remarked. "I wonder why they're in such a hurry. Anna sure did seem more excited than usual for him to come back…"

Merida snorted. "Oh, Elsa, you poor blind fool."

"What?"

"So beautiful and wise and yet, people are still quite the mystery to you, aren't they?" Merida teased.

"That's hardly my fault," Elsa muttered.

"I know," said Merida. "I hope I can help you out of it. As for this, Anna will tell you in the morning, I think."

"O… kay," said Elsa, shrugging. "Sounds good, I guess."

They stopped at Merida's door, and Elsa looked down at their hands in surprise.

"Have we been holding hands this whole time?" she wondered. "…Huh. I wonder how many people saw that. They wouldn't read too much into that, would they?"

"That's up to the people, I suppose," said Merida.

"I suppose," Elsa said uneasily. "We'll, uh… see. Well, goodnight… um, uh, babe. S-sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Queen Elsa, my darling dear," Merida replied gently, drawing Elsa's hand up to her lips and kissing it before letting it go.

"Ooh," Elsa said appreciatively. "Acting like a man doesn't always look bad on you, I use."

Merida smiled grimly. "Aye. Being like a man seems to be the role I must live with."

"Oh, don't feel bad!" Elsa said in alarm. "I… I don't think you're _like_ a man. You're a very beautiful woman and that's why I'm attracted to you, that's why my heart beats out of my chest at the sight of you, I… y-you can't be like a man, because I like you, and… and I like women, apparently. Gah, we haven't even known each other a week and you've made my life so crazy…"

"Och, what's so crazy about it?"

"I called you 'honey' today," Elsa murmured. "That is… crazy."

Merida gently stroked Elsa's shoulders. "In time you'll see it's not _that_ crazy. So we're girls who like girls, big deal. We're just like _any_ two people who've got a thing, honest we are."

"Well, _anything_ involving me and another person is still pretty crazy to me," Elsa admitted.

"Someday, it won't feel like that anymore," Merida whispered. "And then it never will again. I promise you that."

They kissed, first tenderly and not intending to go any further than that, but it took only a single second to give in to passion and enjoy yet another steamy, tongue-tangling kiss.

But in another second, it was over, and they parted ways.

"Goodnight, my sweetheart," said Elsa, making her way down the hall away from her as casually as she could manage.

Too quietly for Elsa to hear, Merida replied, "Goodnight, my love."

~0~0~0~

Kristoff's personal chambers were very small and in a quiet corner of the castle. Kristoff tromped in and pulled off his shoes, socks, and wooly hat, and with a great sigh of relief, dropped his heavy pack of supplies.

He examined himself in his tiny bedroom mirror, his unshaven face smeared with a bit of dirt. "You've looked better, Bjorgman," he whispered to himself. "Well… you didn't anticipate this, did you?"

"Want me to help put some of these things away?" Anna asked him.

"Sure," he muttered, not looking at her. "If you know where… everything… uh… goes…"

Peeling off his dirty, sweaty shirt, he turned around and froze in surprise. With dazzling speed, Anna had emptied his pack and put all of his supplies in their proper place. Her shoes were by his door, her dress and socks were neatly folded on his bedside table, and she was sitting cross-legged on his bed, her hair down and wearing nothing but flowered pink panties.

"Here I am," she said in a high, strained voice, clearly shaken by her own audacity. "You know… most of me."

His own legs beginning to quiver, Kristoff approached her and sat down beside her. "Wow," he remarked.

"Yup," she squeaked. With a shaking hand, she reached out to caress his bare chest. "Oh, my… well, uh… I guess we'd better get to it, then…" Her hands shot for his belt.

Kristoff stiffened. "Okay, wow, so this is really happening, then."

"Well… yeah," Anna admitted, looking up at him. "Is that okay?"

"Y-yeah, it's okay."

Not convinced, her eyes widened in a pleading expression. "Is okay… good?"

"Anna… okay is… wonderful," he forced out.

She grinned and immediately pulled his belt away, wrapping it around her shoulders like a shawl, playing and posing with it as he enjoyed the sight of her near-nudity, her chest and legs just as freckled as her face.

Kristoff lifted a hand toward her. "Can I…?"

"Of course," she said eagerly.

Tentatively, he reached for one of her breasts, carefully squeezing it with just his thumb and forefinger. Anna giggled and went red.

"I'm sorry, I just can't stand it anymore," said Anna. "I need to see…" Her hands shot out to undo his pants, but in her excitement she fumbled, tumbling off the bed. Undeterred, she got onto her knees and went for his waistband again.

"Need help?" he said cautiously.

"No," she said firmly.

"Are you sure, uh… that you really want such a close-up vantage point there?"

" _Need_ ," she corrected fiercely. "Need to see. See it, touch it, kiss it, I want to know it as well as I know your face or… or your hands… and I can't, my hands are shaking too much." She sat beside him on the bed again, grumpily looking from his thick, baggy pants to her own almost-nakedness. "Well, this is hardly fair, is it?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe we should have started kissing or something… and, like, taken our clothes off… _during_ …"

"Maybe," Kristoff agreed. He experimentally reached out with a single finger, slipped it under her waistband and pulled a bit, then withdrew his finger, causing the panties to snap against her skin, eliciting a small giggle from her. "Together?" he suggested, putting his hands on his own waistband.

She nodded. "Yeah, okay, together."

"Count of three?"

"No, that's not… right now!"

"Right now! Okay!"

In unison, they leaned flat on their backs and pushed their pants off, tossing them to the floor, and sat up again, staring at each other, now completely naked.

"Oh, WOW," Anna exclaimed, stunned, her eyes bulging.

"Wow," Kristoff agreed.

Anna adjusted herself on the bed and leaned back again, her head on his pillow and her arms spread. "It's all you, baby," she said, her voice shaking again. "Come and get it."

~0~0~0~

"Rapunzel!"

"Huh?" Rapunzel said absently, looking down at Eugene.

"Focus?" he reminded her.

Rapunzel sighed, covering her face with her hands. They were in bed, and she was sitting up, straddling him as he lay back on the bed, both of them half-dressed.

"I'm sorry, Eugene," Rapunzel muttered. "I'm just really distracted. Anna might be making love at this very moment…"

"Yeah, she might be," Eugene agreed. "Unlike some other people…"

"It's her first time, Eugene!" Rapunzel said urgently. "And I've been helping her prepare, but… what if it wasn't enough? What if she needs me there?"

Sighing in amused disbelief, Eugene grabbed one of her hands in both of his own. "I think," he said gently, "in this particular case, her handling it on her own would be _better_ than you being there to help her."

"Right," Rapunzel said, the words driving her fully out of her reverie. "Of course. That's ridiculous. If she needs any help, she'll… she'll come talk to me about it tomorrow. Right now what she needs is to figure it out on her own."

"Well, not completely on her own. Her boyfriend will be there too, I… I would assume."

"Yes, because… that's the way it works." Rapunzel took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, what were we doing just now?"

"Oh, you know," he said flippantly. "The usual."

She grinned. "Mm, I like the usual." She bent down and kissed him.

~0~0~0~

Anna lifted her head off the pillow. "Is that it?" she said in surprise.

Kristoff rolled over, flat on his back beside her atop his blankets.

"Yeah…" he said, exhausted. "I think that's all I've got in me."

She turned to face him and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, you're pale as a ghost! And sweaty… this really took a lot out of you, huh?"

"Uh-huh."

She rolled over and gently kissed him on the cheek, realizing his breathing was heavy and irregular. "Well… the worst thing I can say is that I'm sad it's over," she said sweetly. "Thanks for playing along tonight."

Grinning broadly, she hopped out of the bed, retrieving her underwear from the floor and getting dressed, singing to herself.

"You going somewhere?" Kristoff said blearily.

Anna beamed at him. "Yeah… I'd like to stay and snuggle, but people will notice if I stay in your room much longer. If not for that, I'd stay with you all night, I swear it. But we need to keep this on the down-low, so I'll have to sleep in my own bed tonight." Now back in her dress, she gasped. "My bed! Next time, let's do it in my bed. There's more room to maneuver there!"

"Next time…?"

She cupped his face in her hands. "Of course. Next time."

He blinked at her as though he couldn't quite comprehend. "O-okay…"

"Oh, baby, you're so tired," Anna cooed. "Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning. I love you!"

~0~0~0~

Anna knocked at Rapunzel's bedroom door, giggling uncontrollably and dancing on the balls of her feet. It was barely a minute before Rapunzel came to the door, nightgown-clad and her hair a bit mussed.

"Hey," Anna said gleefully, offering up her pinkie.

Rapunzel eyed it in surprise, then interlaced it with her own. "Hi. What's up?"

"We did it," Anna said softly, her grin impossibly broad. "Kristoff and I just had sex."

They both broke out in girlish squeals.

"That's wonderful!" Rapunzel said in delight. "How was it?"

"So good," said Anna, leaping back and forth. " _Sooo_ good. It was amazing. Rrgh, but it wasn't enough. I need moooore!"

"I completely understand," said Rapunzel. "Not to worry, you've got a whole lifetime ahead of you for more."

"Sure do," Anna agreed, stifling a yawn even as she kept jumping up and down in excitement. "Well, I just had to let you know before I turned in. I'll tell you the _whole_ story in the morning."

"I can hardly wait," said Rapunzel. "Goodnight, Anna. I'm proud of you."

"Love you, Rapunzel," said Anna. Finally managing to hold still, she looked Rapunzel over. "Why are you so sweaty? And you kinda smell funny…"

"Huh?" Rapunzel said absently. "Oh! Well, as it happens, I just had sex too. Nothing special."

"Gee, _thanks_ ," Eugene's voice grumbled from inside the room.

"Hey, you're the one who called it 'the usual'," Rapunzel called to him, grinning.

"Well, excu-use me, Princess," he sniffed pompously.

Rapunzel giggled and turned back to Anna. "It was excellent. 'The usual' is… it's top-notch. But I definitely want to hear more about _your_ evening."

"You betcha," said Anna. "See you in the morning."

"Love you."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Well, there you have it, that was my first attempt at genuine eroticism. Ever. If it succeeded, I think it'll be because I didn't let myself take it seriously, that I didn't let myself abandon the adorkable factor for a single moment. If I'd tried to play it as truly serious, glamorous erotica, which I definitely considered doing, that would never have worked.

And you know what, I don't think I'll ever do that. Even the most erotic moment has to be at least a little bit funny, because in real life… sex is pretty damn silly, when you think about it. It's weird and awkward and comedy gold, no matter how glamorous and intimate it may be.


	13. Day 6, Part 2

**AN:** All right. It's Moana time.

As I've mentioned, while I've gone with the canonical ages of our four current main characters (in the films Rapunzel is 18, Merida is 16, Anna is 18, and Elsa is 21, and in the fic it's been _almost_ two years since their films' events) I'm changing that for Moana, saying that she was 14 in the film rather than the canonical 16, meaning she's not quite 16 now. A couple of reasons for that. One, a new perspective on life can be provided by someone who's younger than all the rest instead of the same age as Merida… and besides that, she _seems_ younger. And as I said in an earlier note, here's one character who doesn't have to be insecure about her age.

Also, it just makes Moana a lot more awesome to think she accomplished everything she did at the age of 14, which she _was_ in earlier versions of the film before the directors decided to age her up to 16 for whatever reason (a change which didn't really involve actually doing anything, considering most characters' canon ages are never actually mentioned). It's just cooler to think of her that way. With such an easy way to make a character who's already impossibly cool even cooler… the temptation was too great. Especially since if she was 14, she'd be tied with Snow White as the youngest Disney Princess, and it's _always_ awesome to contrast the first princess with later ones. And what a contrast this one is! If they'd been the same age, that just would have enhanced that comparison.

Plus, making her 14 then and almost-16 now serves as a nice parallel with Auli'i Cravalho, who was 14 when cast and 16 when the film came out. I think Auli'i is really cool and cute and I hope she ends up having a big film and TV career for me to follow in the future! That being said, I'm gonna try _not_ to associate Auli'i with this story from this point on. As willing as I am to place a _fictional_ 15-year-old into such a sex-driven story, I'm not prepared to think of the young actress that way.

 **Day 6, Part 2**

A drua cut through storm-gray water, masterfully slipping between the cresting waves, expertly guided by a small young woman and her huge demigod companion.

"You're sure you'll know the place when you see it?" Moana called out, having to shout a bit over the waves and wind, which weren't particularly violent but still not easy to endure.

"Definitely," Maui replied grimly. "The prophecy was _very_ specific."

Working as a single mind, they quickly adjusted the sails and their weight to elegantly pass over a particularly high-cresting wave. Once past it, Moana turned around to face him, she at the boat's bow while he manned the stern.

"I'm just… dying to know where the prophecy came from," she confided. "Why us? Why not someone who could reach them faster? And why are Europeans called 'white people'? Why do their clothes seem to be so… so heavy?"

"Well—" Maui began.

"Do they _all_ dress like that?" she interrupted. "Like the ones we're looking for? How will we even know it's them? Will they even understand us? Will we be welcome in their, um… like, in their world? Is it weird and scary there? Is there anything they have that's as useful and sacred as, say, the coconut?"

"All right, take it down a notch," Maui said firmly, raising a massive hand, but he was smiling. "I don't know where the prophecy came from, or why it chose us, it's just one of those things that the universe does."

"I guess…" Moana submitted, facing forward again to gaze at the horizon.

"As for why they're called 'white people', that's in reference to their skin color," Maui continued.

She turned back to him in alarm. "Seriously? They have white skin?"

"Literally? No," said Maui. "But it's pretty pale." Seeing her relax at that, he smirked. "No, no, even paler than you're thinking. No, paler than that." Satisfied that she looked sufficiently stunned, he leaned back to adjust the sail. "Yeah, it's as eerie as it sounds. As for their clothes, it's pretty cold up there. Plus there's some weird religious thing about modesty? I dunno."

Satisfied, Moana returned to watching their path.

"Don't turn your back on me," Maui chuckled. "You have more questions, don't you?"

She turned to face him again, beaming. "Yes. Yes I do."

"Well, hit me! I'm sure I've got good answers to _some_ of them. Ask as many questions as you'd like, we got spare time."

"Yeah, we sure do," said Moana. "So… questions… let me think…"

~0~0~0~

Several hours later, the sun higher in the sky and the air and water both beginning to slip from gray to blue, Moana leaned down over the water and whispered a few inconsequential questions to it, swishing her hand back and forth in the water. Getting no response after many minutes, she frowned.

"Maui?" she called. "The ocean won't talk to me. I can usually tell when it's ignoring me, but now I'm not even getting _that_ vibe…"

"That's because your friend is the spirit of the _Pacific_ Ocean, kiddo," Maui said dismissively. "And we're not there anymore."

Moana stood up and whirled around to face him, her eyes bulging. "We're not in the Pacific?" she demanded "Then where the hell are we?"

"The, ah… the Atlantic," he said, amused. "It's kinda the world's number-two ocean. Wishes it could be as cool as the Pacific. Isn't."

"…We've left the Pacific Ocean," Moana muttered, her knees shaking at the notion. "I feel like we've dropped off the edge of the world. Has it gotten colder all of a sudden? It feels colder."

"It's not colder," Maui told her calmly, "but hold that thought. As we head north it's gonna get warmer for a while, but then once we hit Europe it's gonna get really, really cold. Colder than you've ever been in your life."

Nodding her head, slowly recovering from the initial shock, Moana relaxed and sat down again. "I can handle that."

"I'm sure you can," said Maui. "We'll probably have to borrow some clothes. Hope they have my size." He pulled on the sail.

"It _has_ been pretty cold for a while, though," said Moana. "Why did we have to swing so far south? Are there currents or something?"

"Not so much," said Maui. "See that?" He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the landmass behind them.

"Of course," said Moana. "The first land we've seen in a couple of weeks, it kinda stands out."

"That's the tip of South America," said Maui. "It's how I know we passed from the Pacific to the Atlantic. We had to go this far south because that's the only way around it."

Moana frowned deeply, her brow furrowed as she tried to process this. "…I don't get it," she finally admitted.

"South America is a continent, kid."

"What's a continent?"

Maui laughed. "What's a continent? Let's see, how do I explain this in a way that's both informative and awesome? A continent… is an island… the size of an ocean."

Moana's jaw dropped and she was speechless for a moment. "Did…" she finally forced out, "did you… have anything to do with…?"

"Creating the continents?" Maui supplied. "Nah, even I'm not _that_ awesome. I just do islands. The continents, they've always been here. Six or seven of 'em… just mucking up our gorgeous, ocean-covered planet."

"Wow," Moana muttered. "Is… is Europe a continent?"

"Not really, but they like to pretend it is," said Maui.

Moana tilted her head in curiosity. Prompted by that look, Maui reached into the cargo hold.

"I'll draw you a map," he said. "It's kinda hard to explain."

~0~0~0~

Under the starry night sky, Maui stomped one foot on the boat's stern. "It's time, Princess," he said. "Time to start heading north."

"On it," said Moana, pulling a rope.

The boat made a sharp turn, and after drifting sideways for a brief moment, the sails caught wind and it proceeded forward again, heading straight north.

"North," Moana said proudly.

"Enjoy it," said Maui. "It's gonna be due north for a while now."

"Cool," said Moana, sitting down on the bow. As the boat proceeded north, she counted the stars, muttering a little greeting inside her head whenever she came upon one that had been particularly helpful in her wayfinding in the past. This brief exploration of the heavens kept her silently occupied for nearly an hour, before she abruptly stood up and walked toward the back of the boat to speak with Maui.

"Let me take another look at the prophecy," she said.

Nodding, he turned away from her and brushed his hair aside. There on his back, where once had been the depiction of Maui's abandonment, was a completely new image. Mostly filled in with black ink, the brown of his skin depicted four thin women in long, flowing dresses. The tallest of them had braided hair, the one beside her had pigtails, and the two shortest of them had a pixie cut and wild curls respectively. All four of them were crowned, their headgear ranging from a simple circlet to a tall, elaborate tiara.

"…I think I like them," Moana said softly.

"You've never met them," Maui said pointedly.

She shrugged and sat down, gesturing for him to turn and face her again. He sat beside her.

"I just… get the feeling they're my kind of people," said Moana, rolling her shoulders again. "I mean, why else would I be sent on this quest?"

"How should I know?" said Maui, looking up at the stars.

"I just noticed they're all wearing headdresses of some sort," said Moana. "All different, but they don't seem to be practical, just decorative. Do you think that means they're important?"

"Yeah, they're probably all princesses," Maui said dismissively. "We'll get to them and I'll suddenly be babysitting _five_ princesses."

Moana punched his arm lightly, smirking. "Yeah, I'm a princess," she said. "And don't you forget it." She dramatically tilted the elaborate red and orange wreath that she wore as a crown.

"Ah, yeah, the new crown," said Maui. "Flower in your hair not good enough for you anymore?"

"Heck no," Moana said proudly. "I've earned the title! Motunui thrives again, and I've made contact with dozens of other inhabited islands, all of us a single family bound together by the sea… I don't want to brag or exalt myself or anything, but I've gotta admit, it feels pretty dang good."

Something catching his eye, Maui looked down at his chest, where the tattoo of himself over his pectoral muscle was smirking up at him, and the tattoo of Moana over his heart winked at him coquettishly with a triumphant hip sway.

"That's enough out of you two," he grumbled, punching himself in the chest. The two tattoo figures tumbled onto their backsides, dazed.

The real Moana smiled and got to her feet. "Well, let's keep this pace, Maui. It's a race against time, and we've got lives to save."

"I'm not in that much of a hurry," Maui said calmly. "We don't know much about this prophecy, but what we do know is that whatever terrible shipwreck these anonymous, important-looking white girls have gotten themselves into, they haven't gotten into it _yet_."

"They haven't?" Moana said blankly. "Oh! Right! Because… we still have weeks of traveling left before we reach Europe. So they'll get into the accident when we're near enough to save them. Huh… fate works in funny ways sometimes, doesn't it?"

"Nah, it's just really obnoxious."

"True that. So… how much longer do we have?"

"Months," Maui said grimly. "I couldn't tell you how many… just definitely a couple more months. Think you can handle that?"

Moana smirked fiercely at the northern horizon. "I was _born_ for that."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** If Maui seems a bit more worldly, and his knowledge more advanced, than it should be, it is! It will be explained in time, the next time we see them. I didn't necessarily _need_ him to have knowledge of the world outside the Pacific, but I thought it would actually be a pretty cool aspect of the character.


	14. Day 7, Part 1

**AN:** As you may have noticed by now, this story updates every day… so far. The idea is that I won't start posting a "book" of _Princess Party_ until I have that book completed. Thus, when Book One is over, once we've finished with the 25 days of consistent updating… it'll be a while before more chapters start coming out. But then once I've finished writing Book Two, the daily updates will resume.

And by that point, yeah, it'll be listed as a Disney fanfic. My original idea was to post each installment in a different category—first Tangled/Brave, then Frozen/Moana, then running through every possible combination… but, no, I want people to actually be able to find this. So… yeah. Disney it is.

 **Day 7, Part 1**

"Maybe we should have let him in on this plan a little earlier," Anna admitted. "I only gave him a few seconds to, like, process what was going to happen before I got all up on him… he had no warning. It's kind of sad. My face was, I'm sure, like… bliss." She showed Rapunzel an expression with half-closed eyes, a slack jaw, and tongue lolling out.

"That is a very good impression of bliss," Rapunzel laughed.

"I know, right?" said Anna. "While his face was kinda like… terror! He wasn't ready for this. Oh, but it was so good. So good. I think it was good for him. Not sure. We definitely need practice, though. Ah, here it is." She pulled a small, pristine woolen pad out of the top drawer of her dresser. "Ah, there we go! I don't think I've ever grabbed one of these in time. It's thanks to you that I know it's due today! Just a moment…" She ducked into her closet and closed the door.

"Well, hey, don't start practicing right away," Rapunzel said through the closet door. "Give yourselves another month to plan, to talk a bit about what you'd both like from it."

"Okay!" Anna said brightly.

"Can I get some more details?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well… he didn't know what to do with his hands," Anna said thoughtfully. "Neither did I, really, I just kinda held them stiff at my sides. Hee hee… I feel bad for laughing about these things, because they must be so embarrassing for him, but, you know, I can't help it, because they're cute and adorable and… sincere! So I'm not laughing _at_ him…"

"Of course," said Rapunzel, smiling.

Anna emerged from the closet, giggling. "Eeeee, I just feel so alive!"

"I know the feeling," said Rapunzel. "I'm _so_ proud of you, cousin. You did it."

~0~0~0~

On their way to breakfast, they passed several guards, posted around the castle's halls. As had become customary over the course of the week, there were a handful of Corona and DunBroch uniforms among the many soldiers of Arendelle.

"Hmm," Anna remarked, her voice low. "You know, Corona soldiers are a lot sexier than Arendelle soldiers."

"What, all of them?" said Rapunzel. "Oh, no they're not…"

"I dunno, they certainly seem that way," Anna said seriously. "I think it's your cool helmets that do it. The Arendelle uniform is topped by a funny hat, that's the problem, that kind of kills all the sex appeal of a man in uniform. Just my opinion."

"Eh… yeah, that checks out, I guess," said Rapunzel. "It's a pretty silly hat. Maybe my guards _are_ sexier than yours."

"Maybe I can change the uniform," Anna pondered. "I probably have that authority. I _should_. It's not scary _or_ sexy. Soldiers should be both of those things. Not so goofy…"

"Hey," said Elsa, her path meeting theirs on their way to the dining hall. "What are you two giggling about?"

"We weren't giggling," Anna said blankly.

"You two are always giggling about _something_ ," said Elsa, chuckling. "It was a safe guess."

"We'll tell you in a minute," said Anna. "Let's talk about you! How are things going with your girlfriend?"

"Keep your voice down!" Elsa hissed. "I'm still not ready to go public with this. I need to pick a moment to formally announce it to the kingdom. Probably _after_ the delegations leave…" She sighed. "They're good. Things are good. She's quite nice… she's been bringing me lots of candy and flowers that have just brightened my day every time… I don't think she's been paying for them, but for some reason I find that attractive."

"Thievery is hot," Rapunzel said simply. "Well-known fact. I can testify to it." She reached for her crown and tilted it atop her head.

"She's been telling me about her past," Elsa continued. "Apparently she turned her mother into a bear and just barely made the two-day deadline to change her back. Kind of makes me feel better about _my_ big magical screw-up."

"Yours was a lot more spectacular than just a bear," Anna said solemnly. She gasped. "Wrists! I could go like this… and he could hold my wrists. _That's_ what we can do with our hands…"

"That is a timeless classic," Rapunzel said appreciatively.

"Well, that was easy," Anna said with deep satisfaction. "Ooh, next month is gonna be fantastic… I'm gonna get so many ideas… sorry, Elsa, back to you."

Elsa blinked at her in confusion. "…What the hell was that?"

"Nothing, nothing," Anna said quickly. "I'll tell you in a minute. Back to you."

The three of them entered the dining hall together; with the banquet over, it now contained several rows of tables, with one perpendicular to all the others serving as the head of the room. Elsa aimed for the seat at the very center of the high table.

"Well," she was saying, "it's been… yeah, it's really been wonderful, honestly. We've been talking a lot, bonding… kissing a _lot_ … and, you know what the strangest thing of all is? She seldom takes her hand off my butt. Whenever we're together, she's always squeezing it, rubbing it, it's so… it's weird. We're very intimate in general, lots of gentle touching all over, but for whatever reason she just really loves my butt." She piled her plate with scrambled eggs from a heated pot.

"Well, come on, Elsa," said Rapunzel, she and Anna taking seats to Elsa's right, "surely you know that you've got an amazing figure."

"Well… sure," Elsa said, looking down at her own chest. "I mean, I know I have a nice rack. She gives that a lot of attention too, and I completely sympathize, but why my butt? I don't get it."

Anna leaned back to get a look at Elsa's rear. "Yeah, neither do I," she said. "If I was into ladies, I'd be more interested in something like… Rapunzel's butt. Now _that_ is a cute butt."

"Aw, thank you!" Rapunzel chirped. A servant, setting a tray of sizzling bacon on the table in front of them, gave the three of them an odd look. "Yeah, that's right," said Rapunzel, "just a bunch of royals, hanging around, talking about cute butts. Move it right along, nothing to see here."

As the servant strode back to the kitchens, Rapunzel addressed Elsa. "Well, let me ask you this… do you make those dresses that you wear?"

"In a sense, yeah," said Elsa. "Not by hand or anything, I just kind of make them appear."

"Sure," said Rapunzel, nodding. "And I assume you're aware of how… provocative they can be?"

"Uh… sure, yeah," Elsa admitted. "I make them like this to… they represent independence. Emancipation, if you will. Although I do have to keep them this thin because… well, any fabric thicker than this made out of ice, it's just super-impractical, can't even walk in it."

"Well, I completely understand why your girlfriend can't keep her hands off you," Rapunzel said with a grin. "You're a very sexy woman, Elsa."

"I try to be," Elsa said earnestly. "Just for myself, that is. Makes me feel good. I never imagined that there would be anyone I wanted to be sexy _for_ … but now there is."

"Nothin' wrong with that, cousin," Rapunzel said. "Nothin' wrong with that."

Anna gnawed on a piece of bacon, deep in thought. "So, here's a question," she said. "With all this intimate touching going on, would you say you're still a virgin?"

Elsa flinched. "Um… well… yeah. There's been making out and butt touches and sometimes she touches my boobs, but we've never touched each other… _there_ … so… I would say so. Virgin. She's not, incidentally, if that's what you were wondering… she has _quite_ a bit of experience with women…"

"No, no, I know that part," Anna said eagerly. "So, you are?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I just wanted to let you know that… that I am so _not_ a virgin." She broke out in hysterical laughter, rolling around in her chair.

"You didn't," said Elsa, stunned.

"I did!" Anna said gleefully. "Turned in my badge last night. Kristoff and I totally did it out of wedlock. And next month, we're going to do it again. Still won't be married then. Eh… no word yet on whether we'll be married the month after that, but we _will_ definitely be doing it. Haha, I feel so nasty! Woot!"

Elsa blinked, several times, very slowly. "I just… oh my gosh, I can't even… even process this. You… you had sex? You're not… not a virgin anymore?"

"I'm afraid not," Anna said gently, reaching out and touching Elsa's hand.

"That's just… wow," Elsa breathed. "So… gosh… what is it like to be with a—never mind, don't answer that. Why do I need to know? I'm gay."

"Yeah y'are!" Anna said cheerfully.

"Hmm… what _am_ I gonna do with Merida?" Elsa wondered, staring up at the ceiling. "What _do_ two women do in bed together?"

"I think it's like… like foreplay…" Rapunzel cut in. "Only that's the whole thing."

"Right!" said Elsa, inspired. "Oh, that sounds really good, actually. Yeah, it sounds really, _really_ good…" She turned to Anna, whose eyes were bulging with glee alongside an impossibly massive grin. "Reign it in, would you?" Elsa exclaimed. "I'm not going to bed with Merida anytime soon. Jesus Christ, Anna, that's the scariest thing I've ever seen."

Anna got to her feet, pushing her chair back with a loud scrape, still grinning manically. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I'm just so thrilled about all the joys you—Merida!" She had spotted Merida entering the dining hall, and squealed in glee, racing around the table and rushing to meet her. "Hi!" Anna chirped.

"Good morning, lass," said Merida. "If it were at all possible for you to be peppier than usual… I take it you did the deed?"

"I did!" Anna squealed. "It was so great! So, Merida, let's get real… my secret's totally out, at least among the people I really care about. When are you gonna tell Elsa that you love her?"

Merida beamed and touched Anna's face gently. "In time, lass. I've just got to find the right moment."

Anna responded in kind, cupping Merida's face in both of her hands. "Yeah, I… I guess it's best to take your time. But I'm so nuts about you two. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she loves you too."

"Even after your experience with things moving too fast?" said Merida.

"If it's not too early for butt squeezes, I'm sure love is just around the corner," said Anna.

"That's a weird sentence," said a voice behind Anna. "But, accurate."

Anna felt a hand squeeze her own bottom, and leapt in surprise, spinning in midair with a delighted shriek, seeing Kristoff just behind her. She instantly threw herself on him, hugging him.

"Anna," he said gently. "I didn't get a chance last night, to tell you… well, to tell you… just, wow. Just how great it was."

"Really?" she said in delight. "I thought you were scared."

"Uh… heh… well, I was," he said, chuckling. "I've always been scared of you, Anna. But you've got a powerful way of… making me want what you want."

"Scared of _me_?"

"You scare the hell out of me, baby." He wrapped one arm around her, placing that hand over her heart. She reached up with both of her hands to grasp it. "Being involved with someone so very, very recklessly impulsive… it's made me a better man."

"I've never needed a better man," she gushed. "I've just needed you. A _good_ man." Her voice suddenly turned throaty and sultry. "And what… a… man."

He chuckled.

As Kristoff and Anna conversed, Merida had made her way to the head table, sitting on Elsa's right. Rapunzel, seeing Elsa shoot Merida a look she couldn't see, and Merida responding with a look of concern and surprise, stepped away from the table and slowly edged toward Anna and Kristoff.

"What's the matter, darling?" Merida whispered.

"Well, they did it," Elsa told her numbly. "She slept with Kristoff."

"Aye, she told me," Merida said grimly. "That must be a bit of a shock. Baby sister punched her card before you did, eh? That's a tragedy."

"That's not what bothers me."

"I hope not, 'cause there's an easy remedy for it sittin' right here," Merida said innocently.

In spite of herself, Elsa giggled. "Will you back off?" She leaned in close to Merida to be sure no one else could hear. "I will bring you to bed when I am good and ready, sweetheart, and you will _know_ when I'm good and ready, and it'll be the best moment of your life."

"I don't doubt it," Merida said smugly. "Just for the record, I am ready whenever you are."

"I know," said Elsa, smirking. "I can tell from the way you salivate, you heartless sex hound."

"Hee hee!"

"But anyway…" said Elsa, gazing over at Anna again. "Yeah. It's true. My baby sister's not a virgin anymore. It boggles the mind."

"Surely you've been expectin' this?" Merida inquired.

"Well… I guess… yeah," Elsa muttered. "They've been together for ages, it's practically an Arendelle scandal that they aren't married by now. And I know there was all that talk about Rapunzel teaching her about sex… somehow it never occurred to me that it was coaching to actually _do_ it. It wouldn't have, really. She was, obviously… spooked pretty badly by her first relationship. I thought it was brave of her to even _consider_ becoming a couple with Kristoff so soon after those events." She sighed. "I missed so much of her life, Merida."

"You are here now," Merida said tenderly. "You're gonna be here for all the important parts, I reckon."

"I'm not upset," said Elsa, picking at her food. "This has been a long time coming. I'm happy for her… especially that she wanted me to know. It would have been so easy to keep it a secret, but… she told me."

She looked up at Anna yet again, chatting and laughing with Rapunzel as Kristoff and Eugene, who had entered the room at some point, looked upon them fondly.

"I love my sister," Elsa said, almost tonelessly. "Her safety and happiness are about ten times more important to me than my own. I just wish she needed me, you know? I wish things had been different." She looked down. She was crying, but her face remained straight and stoic, stiff-lipped.

"That girl needs you, lass," said Merida. "She needs you so badly. She spent her entire life knocking at your door… because she needed you."

"Then why did she scheme and prepare for this moment with Rapunzel instead of me?" Elsa said, fighting back a sob. "My adorable, sweet, quirky, bubble-headed, virginal baby sister is…"

"Babe…" said Merida. "Elsa… she's still the same person. She just cut back on the 'virginal'. She's still got all the… rest…"

Before Merida was finished, Elsa had vaulted over the head table and crossed the room, skating across ice for speed, and hugged Anna tightly.

"I didn't congratulate you properly," said Elsa, barely able to make her voice audible. "Congratulations on this… this milestone in your life." She parted from Anna so they could look at each other, her makeup running with tears. "Why didn't you tell me you'd been planning this? Why did you go to Rapunzel for it?"

"I didn't go to her," said Anna, her own lip quivering from Elsa's display of emotion. "It was her idea."

"It's true," Rapunzel said hastily. "We… yeah. I suggested it the first night I was here."

Anna nodded. "And… well, I couldn't have asked you for advice, because you don't know anything about being with a man. And now we know that you never will."

"You could have at least told me it was something you were planning."

"I would have," said Anna. "I was never intentionally keeping it a secret. But then all of a sudden you had other things on your mind."

"Yeah," said Rapunzel. "Things like that gorgeous redhead over there who, even as we speak, is checking out your ass again."

Elsa turned to glare at Merida, who looked away casually. "Shouldn't you be used to it by now?" Elsa called across the room.

"Not a chance, your majesty," Merida called back.

Elsa turned back to Anna, calm now, and smiling. "Er… sorry for that nasty shock there," she said primly. "I just wanted to tell you I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, sis," said Anna. "Right back at you! Merida is so cool."

Beaming, Elsa kissed Anna on the cheek and returned to Merida's side, at a walking speed and taking the long way around the table this time.

"Apparently, the whole thing was Rapunzel's idea," Elsa mused. "Would you have guessed…?"

"Ahhhh," said Merida, nodding. "I might've, yeah. Rapunzel is a married woman, after all. I don't reckon she shares a bed with Eugene just to keep half the bed warm, yeah? Rapunzel knows stuff. And she can probably spot a woman who needs to get some."

"You think?" Elsa said absently.

Merida nodded. "From Anna's side, I also think her awesome new cousin is a novelty. Might have been more fun to get guidance from her than the familiar hand of her big sister."

Elsa poured herself a cup of coffee as she pondered Merida's words. "We're not… _that_ familiar," she finally said.

"Oh, babe, come on," said Merida. "You've been walkin' around outside your room being the queen for nearly two years now. You and Anna aren't strangers anymore. Accept the change in that status quo, and, when it comes to the past of being shut out from her, just… let it go, babe."

Elsa winced. "Eww!" she said, revolted. "Never say that again!"

"Say what, 'let it go'?"

"Yeah. That was… you can't pull that off… uh, babe."

"Sorry," said Merida, clapping a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "The girl needs you. And… I need you."

"Thanks, Mer," Elsa said emotionally. "I need you too. I'm very happy you're a part of my life now."

"I intend to stay that way," Merida said sweetly.

Elsa smiled at her, then back at the others. "Hey… come with me."

This time she slipped underneath the table, and Merida followed suit. Elsa marched purposefully toward Anna and Rapunzel, unexpectedly pulling them both into a choking embrace.

"Eep!" Anna choked. "Again?"

"I… love… you… so… much," Elsa muttered, punctuating each word with a kiss to the top of Anna's head. "Group hug!"

"Yay!" said Merida, joining in. Anna and Rapunzel started laughing and adjusted themselves to fully participate in the group hug.

"Ahhh," Elsa said with satisfaction, stepping away from the hug. She turned toward Kristoff and hugged him as well. "Kristoff… let me tell you something. No one in the world deserves the gift you just received. It's the most valuable treasure in all of Arendelle. But I'm very glad it went to you."

"Wow," he muttered. "Gosh, I… thanks, Elsa." He hugged her back, only briefly.

"And you, Eugene…" said Elsa. "Thanks for being the guy who was there when I had to vent my little secret. If there's ever anything I can do for you…"

"Meh, don't worry about it, cousin," Eugene said, grinning and waving it away with his hand.

"Well, just keep it in mind," said Elsa, grinning back at him. "And… oh… hello, Queen Elinor."

Elinor had just come through the door, and bowed her head at Elsa's greeting. "Hello to you, Queen Elsa."

Elsa looked around at all of them. "Honestly? It's so wonderful to have you all here. Hey, you know what? It being Sunday and all… why don't we all hit the theatre? My treat. I haven't been in the longest time…"

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Oh, jeez, I left this spot blank for five whole hours. Well, I'm sure nobody saw it. When are you guys going to catch up so I have something to talk about…?


	15. Day 7, Part 2

**AN:** So, one topic that usually comes up at some point in both genuine female-driven entertainment and in female exploitation written by men—let's say that, at worst, this is a little bit of both, shall we?—is the comparing of busts and curves.

Under other circumstances, I might have an in-story scene of girl-talk that reveals all the characters' bra sizes, but in shaping the fic's continuity and making the decision on how anachronistic I'd make things, I decided that the bra hasn't been invented yet (in real life they made their debut in the early 1900s), so the notion of standard sizes would be meaningless. However, I'm not going to make their undergarments at all historically accurate—I care about these characters too much to want to stick them in the pain-in-the-ass clothing that women in the 1800s actually had to wear. So I assume that under their gorgeous yet maneuverable dresses, they're wearing camisoles (if that) and very modern panties. Well, what do I mean I assume? They'll be seen in their underwear a lot.

And besides that, Disney women in the modern CGI age are usually designed in such a way that their eyes and breasts are about the same size, so any real-life notion of clothing sizes wouldn't really apply, better replaced with questions like how their tiny necks can support their big heads and how they have room in those petite little bodies for both bones and organs.

Ah, hang on, this is gonna be another big one. Okay, to be continued…

 **Day 7, Part 2**

Audience members began filtering out of the dark theatre into the sunlit streets of Arendelle. Seven theatre-goers in particular were given a respectful wide berth once it was noticed who they were.

" _TRADITIOOOOOON!_ " Eugene belted out, directing it at the sky. "Ah, _Fiddler on the Roof_ —the angst, the passion! Is there anything better than theatre for examining the human condition? How glamorous! How glitzy! How lucky we are to have seen this very performance."

Rapunzel leered at him suspiciously. "Are you serious, or are you just being a dick?"

"Can't I do both?" he said innocently. "It _is_ a good play. It's just also corny."

"It's very interesting, how it gets interpreted," said Elsa. "For instance, when Tevye disowns Chava for marrying a non-Jewish man, it's played as a two-sided moment where no one is really right… in general, the whole play is ambiguous about whether change or tradition is better. That's quite the step up from the original stories, which were fully on the side of tradition, including being on Tevye's side as far as the, ah, disownment. Also, it's kind of funny how his two little daughters, they have, what, one line apiece? You almost forget that they're even there… that's another step up, though, because in the stories he had _seven_ daughters, not five. I can't imagine they'd _all_ have something to do… though that just brings up the question of why they'd remove two from the story but leave in another two only to have them do nothing…"

"That is bloody fascinating," Merida said sincerely, gaping at Elsa, intrigued. "How do you even know that stuff?"

Elsa paused, then shrugged. "Maybe I _am_ a theatre buff. At least, I try to learn as much about what I'm watching as I possibly can…"

"Ooh!" said Anna. "Maybe you know this one, it's been driving me crazy—who's the actor who was in _Grease_ and _Saturday Night Fever_?"

"Who was in what now?" Merida said blankly.

"Touring plays that came through last year," Elsa said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. I want to say his name was… Tron? Tron Gibraltar, I think."

"Cool," said Anna, nodding. "Eee, Punzie, catch me!" She leapt backward without looking, flawlessly interlinking her arm with Rapunzel's. "Did you like it?"

"Oh, yes," said Rapunzel, affectionately leaning her head against Anna's. "I love _Fiddler_. A very resonant classic."

"I like the theatre and all, but it's so much better to have you there to enjoy it with me," Anna said sweetly. "You are the new sparkle of my life, cousin."

"Aww, Anna," said Rapunzel. "I love you!"

Walking behind the four of them, Kristoff and Eugene walked side by side.

"So… how ya doin'?" Kristoff said to Eugene.

"Oh… I'm all right," Eugene said absently, eyeing Rapunzel and Anna. "How are you doing?"

"Good, definitely good," said Kristoff, smiling at Anna's back fondly.

Eugene hesitated, trying to come up with something to say. "So… did you enjoy the play?"

"Eh… it was okay. I don't much care for musicals."

"Yeah? Neither did I, once, but they've grown on me."

Kristoff shrugged. "They… haven't quite grown on me, so much."

"That's… okay, I guess."

They walked on in silence together. Behind them, Elinor walked alone, trailing behind the entire group. As the party made their way to one of the great stone bridges outside the castle, Elinor overtook the men and came between Elsa and Merida, gently placing her hands on their shoulders.

"I notice it's become… difficult to restrain yourselves," she said quietly.

Elsa tensed at the touch. "Erm… yes, ma'am."

"Elsa's not ready for us to be seen in public as a couple, Mum," said Merida. "And me, I respect my girlfriend's wishes through and through."

"And that's the best thing you could have done, Merida," Elinor said, squeezing Merida's shoulder tightly to display her approval. "But Elsa… if I may… I think the thing you fear here is a break in tradition." She squeezed Elsa's shoulder as well, in encouragement. "Change comes for us all. Merida taught me that long ago, and we've just watched a whole play about it. Don't be afraid to make the changes you need to make because… because you're afraid of what other people may think. I admit that sometimes Merida's openness has alarmed me, but honestly? You have to let it happen. Perhaps it might feel like imposing change on other people. Perhaps they'll resist it. But you being open and courageous about who you are… I believe that can only be what's best for everyone. _Everyone_."

Considering that for a long, silent moment of walking, Elsa reached out her hand toward Merida, who eagerly took it.

"I don't know that I'm ready to admit to it outright," said Elsa, "but maybe I'm willing to let people talk."

~0~0~0~

"Whatcha readin', babe?"

Elsa jumped in surprise and dropped the book she was reading, fumbling to pick it up. "Oh… ah… _The Brute_ ," she said, leaning back into the cushy armchair and showing Merida the cover of the book, which was a sickly green.

"Ah, _The Brute_ , right," said Merida. "That's one of those, uh, Marvel books, isn't it?" She scanned the shelves of the castle library. "Did you pick it up here?"

Elsa nodded. "Since I finished _A Man of Iron_ yesterday, I thought I should pick up this book, apparently it's some sort of follow-up to it, but I don't really understand how yet. I'm scared! They're being really vague about it, how the main character was in some sort of accident involving potions and alchemy, but I'm getting the vibe that if he gets angry or scared he'll turn into some sort of monster! And everyone's always messing with him…" She scanned the two pages she had open. "It's gripping. I honestly have no idea what to expect. I've never really read a story like this before… what have you got there?"

" _A Man of Iron 2_ ," said Merida, showing off another red and gold volume.

Elsa frowned. " _A Man of Iron 2_? What the hell kind of title for a sequel is that?"

"I dunno," said Merida. "A cheap and easy one, I guess. But I am very interested in seein' what happens next! I've never seen a superhero just come out and admit it to the whole world who he really was… this ought to be really excitin'…"

Merida sat down in the armchair beside Elsa, and they both started to read, holding hands as they did so.

Hours later, after the sun had set and a lantern lit between them, Elsa and Merida simultaneously reached the ends of their books and gasped, getting to their feet.

"I get it now!" Elsa gasped. "They're connected!"

"They're _all_ connected!" Merida squealed.

"I have _never_ seen a book do this," said Elsa, marveling at the cover of _The Brute_. "I… I need to tell people about this!"

" _The Legend of Thor_ ," said Merida, looking around the library. "I need to find _The Legend of Thor_ , that's what the epilogue of this one was leading up to…"

"Thor?" Elsa said blankly. "Like the god?"

"I believe that's the very Thor this ending hints at," said Merida. "Hammer and everything."

"That seems… out of place," said Elsa, frowning now at _A Man of Iron 2_.

"It does, but… I wanna see where they're goin' with this," said Merida.

"So do I," said Elsa. "I suppose we should both be all caught up on the first three books, though. Trade?"

"Trade," Merida agreed. They swapped books, their faces coming dangerously close together as they did so. "Elsa," she whispered. "I love… sharing this with you. Our interests, I mean. The books, the play. It really got my spirit soarin' that we both enjoy the stories, and talking about them. It's good to know that if we hadn't become a couple as fast as we did, we might have been friends."

"We _are_ friends, Merida," said Elsa.

Before Merida could express her questioning reaction, Elsa had begun kissing her passionately, right in the middle of the empty library.

"Mmmmm, babe," Merida moaned passionately into Elsa's mouth. She clamped her lips over Elsa's tongue and sucked it into her own mouth.

After a minute or two, they parted, and Merida stood on tiptoe, used Elsa's shoulders to hoist herself up higher, and kissed her on the forehead. "I guess it's true," Merida mused. "Reading _is_ cool. It must be, because it earns me the best kisses of my life."

"You earn those just by breathing, honey," Elsa said tenderly. "I'm crazy about you."

They shared another brief, gentle kiss, and gazed deeply into each other's eyes for several minutes.

"I'm gonna go find that Thor book for you!" said Elsa, skipping off into the depths of the library.

Merida watched her go, and her face sunk. "Damn it, that was an 'I love you' moment," she muttered to herself. "And I missed it. Why didn't _she_ say it…?" She shook her head and sat down in the chair again, stroking the cover of _The Brute_. "The time will come."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** So, what was I saying? Right, underwear. And then bra sizes. Related to both: I have a document that I keep to myself where I describe in detail the various outfits and hairstyles worn by the characters throughout the story, saved for the potential event that I ever get the chance to adapt this into a webcomic, and that document is topped by a description of each character's body, with the intention that they'll look both sexier and more realistic than they do in their films while still being faithful to their original aesthetic. Yes, I very much dream of turning this into a webcomic someday… filled to the brim with costume porn, scenery porn, hair-and-makeup porn… while doubtless facing accusations of being regular porn. It'll never happen, the spare time needed to produce it could never possibly exist, but I like to pretend.

So, I was going to tell you every character's height, bra size, and other details of their figures, but I've decided, no, this isn't a high school manga, I'm not going to do that, I'm going to let such things come out naturally in dialogue, as they have been. Basically, it's nothing you couldn't figure out just from watching the films, noticing what small differences exist between the characters, and exaggerating those differences.

Though the heights are mostly artistic license. Elsa and Anna, despite their common depiction in fanon, appear to be canonically the exact same height, but I'm going with the fan depiction of Elsa being tall and statuesque while Anna is of average height, while Moana in her film seems to be of a perfectly respectable height but I'm making her the shortest of the group (yes, don't worry, she's joining the group eventually, and it'll be like she was never apart from them), perhaps because having more meat on her bones than her predecessors creates the illusion that she's shorter than them in the absence of their ever actually sharing a scene. And, by the same principle as making her younger, she's just that much more awesome if she's the shortest of them. The great thing about a character being short is that it displays the character's vulnerability and their lack thereof at the same time. Amazing device.


	16. Day 8

**AN:** Oh, here's something I could have said earlier—Sassymouse. I have a third reviewer, Sassymouse, a user I hadn't seen in almost two years and was very surprised to see pop up again. That was nice. Be nicer if any of my reviewers could get past the first three chapters, heh heh.

 **Day 8**

In the chilly mist of early morning, four young women on bicycles burst through the front gates of Arendelle Castle.

Elsa, Merida, Anna, and Rapunzel soared down the stone bridge, their hair and dresses whipping in the wind as they made their way north.

~0~0~0~

The four of them stopped in a glade far outside the city, each of them pulling a basket off of their bike. Rapunzel laid out a blanket on the ground, and Elsa and Merida set their baskets atop it, opening them to reveal bundles of food.

"Yay!" said Anna, remaining standing as the other three sat down on the blanket and helped themselves to food. "Picnic time! Princess picnic party!"

Elsa chuckled. "What do you have in _your_ basket, Anna?"

"UNICORNS!" Anna declared, dumping an assortment of plush unicorn toys onto the blanket.

"Ha ha!" Merida guffawed, clapping her hands excitedly. "I love unicorns!"

"You do?" Elsa inquired.

"Aye, it's a point of national pride," said Merida. "Unicorns are a symbol of Scotland, don't you know… of course, we're more fond of the bearded, vicious, lion-tailed unicorn than the pretty sparkly pony sort, but… well, both are equally valid interpretations until science discovers what real unicorns are like. Anna, excellent choice. A picnic among a bunch of princess gal pals—unicorns are the perfect addition."

"Amen," said Rapunzel, raising a goblet.

"Ah, I just feel so alive!" Anna declared. Dropping flat on her belly, she played with a unicorn in one hand and held a chicken leg in the other. "My head's still spinning. I am no longer a virgin. That happened. …It's done."

"You're damn right," said Merida, smacking Anna on the rump and picking out a unicorn of her own. "How did that go, by the way?"

"Amazing!" said Anna. "It was the _best_ night. We went to his room, and… I just couldn't wait, I just stripped naked right then and there."

"Ha! I know what that's like," Merida chuckled.

"And then he was naked too, and I was like 'get some!' and he started playing with my boobs, and then, like, kissing them…"

"Mmm, that's nice."

"And then there was the… the touching me… there…"

"Lovely."

"And I kinda grabbed him… and guided him… and his, his, his, uh, his… his thing, was just so nice…"

"Eh, you lost me there," Merida said dryly. "Never tried men's 'things', personally, don't see the appeal…"

"Well, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that I fully support that," said Anna, having her unicorn nuzzle Merida's. "Anyway, from there we made love and made out at the same time, and it was just… I wish it had gone on for more time, but as-is it was the greatest minute and a half of my life."

"It sounds excellent."

Elsa smirked at them as she picked a fruit tart out of one of the baskets.

"So, you and Merida haven't slept together yet," Rapunzel said conversationally.

Elsa gaped at her, her arm frozen halfway through bringing the tart to her mouth.

"Sorry," Rapunzel said sheepishly. "That was, ah… blunt… I'm new to this whole 'gal pals' thing. But Anna's been very frank about her sex life, and… yeah… I guess I just thought it was kind of unusual. I forgot how long Anna and Kristoff have actually been together… me, I slept with Eugene on the third morning of what was basically a sort-of-flirty friendship, so, that you two have been _actually_ dating for almost a week, that's… I dunno. Seems odd, but that's just _my_ perspective on it. There's no right or wrong way to do it, I guess."

Elsa continued to stare at her blankly. "What… are you talking about?"

"I dunno," Rapunzel admitted. "Just… how are things going?"

"Things are… things are wonderful," said Elsa.

"But not wonderful enough to sleep with her?"

"I'm not ready."

"Well… that might be a reason to go ahead and do it, actually," Rapunzel said delicately.

"…I'm sorry?" Elsa said in disbelief.

"You're so _tense_ , Elsa," Rapunzel said lovingly. "Even when you're with your sweetheart. Maybe you should… break the tension. You'll feel better, and so much closer to her…"

Elsa's lip thinned. "You're saying I'm tightly wound and I need to get laid."

Rapunzel didn't answer for a moment before softly saying, "Yeah."

"Hey, I've got an idea, let's switch conversational partners," Elsa said loudly. "Anna, I'd love to hear more about the other night."

Anna eagerly acquiesced, rolling across the blanket to sit beside her sister. With resigned amusement, Rapunzel stood up and gently took a seat where Anna had been, next to Merida, who looked a bit confused.

"So, you and Elsa haven't slept together yet," Rapunzel said immediately.

"Nah," said Merida, taking it in stride. "She's a delicate flower, needs a bit more… you know… time to steel herself for it."

"You're taking it well, from what I've heard about your, well, background."

"Ah, it's nothin'. She's worth waiting for."

Rapunzel nodded, smiling. "You two make delightful companions."

"Thanks, I like to think so," Merida said proudly.

"Still… you must want her body."

"Oh, I want her body. So. Damn. Much."

Rapunzel giggled. "She does have an amazing body. You'll have to tell me about it…"

"Yeah? You want me to?"

"Well, you know, I liked hearing about Anna's night with Kristoff, and I saw you enjoyed that too… I'd be very interested to hear about another… first-time story…"

Merida beamed. "It'll be a magical story, that I don't doubt."

"So, Elsa," Anna was saying, "there was like this awkward moment, where I kind of felt this… pressure… not pain, just a sort of pressure… Elsa?"

Elsa was staring blankly at Rapunzel and Merida, who were quite animatedly chatting about the possibility of Elsa and Merida sleeping together while toying with the unicorns.

"…I think I did the switch-partners thing wrong," Elsa said dryly. "Anna, you talk to Rapunzel. I'll take my girlfriend…"

"Hmm," Anna grunted. "Well, that's how we've been arranged for this entire visit, but okay."

Anna and Merida stood up and swapped places with each other. None of them said anything to each other for several minutes.

"Gosh," Rapunzel remarked to break the silence, "we've been talking to each other nonstop all week and we have nothing left to talk about."

"Yeah, probably," Anna admitted. "But I still love you."

"Aw, I love you too." They clasped their pinkies together again.

Elsa beamed at them before turning her attention back to Merida, grasping her shoulders and kissing her deeply.

"I absolutely adore you," Merida said in a sultry voice, her eyes half-lidded.

"Yeah?" said Elsa, smiling. "Still wanna marry me?"

"More than anything."

"More than you want my body?"

"By about this much," said Merida, holding her forefinger and thumb less than an inch apart. "But yes."

~0~0~0~

The four of them re-entered the castle, giggling sporadically and affectionately patting each other on the back, with no exchange of words. Entering the dining hall, they found Elinor waiting for them, hands sternly on her hips.

"Where. Have. You. Been?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Uh-oh, principal's caught us," Merida said in a stage whisper.

"It's not funny, Merida!" Elinor snarled. "Did you tell _anyone_ where you'd gone?"

"Um… no?" Elsa said meekly. "I don't think so."

"We just went biking out into the forest, Mum," Merida said patiently. "We had a picnic."

"And _no one_ knew that," Elinor snapped. "If you'd been away much longer, the entire kingdom would be left wondering where you'd gone. There'd have been a panic! And what if you had never returned? Three kingdoms left without their—"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel squealed in delight. Almost before he had entered the room completely, she had pounced upon him and immediately placed her lips upon his neck.

"Agh! Um… hey, baby," he said, his voice shaking as she bit and licked him passionately. "Where have you been?"

"Out," she said simply, before clamping upon his neck again and sucking on it noisily.

"Oh," he said faintly. "Well, that's okay, I guess…"

Elinor frowned at him. "Prince Eugene, you were supposed to back me up on this. They shouldn't have gone out without telling anyone!"

"S… sorry," he stammered. "I was with you, but now my wife is necking me like a vampire and it's awesome and I'm completely unable to remember whose side I was supposed to be on…"

"Mm, my sweet, lovely Eugene," Rapunzel moaned, before lecherously sliding her tongue from his shoulder all the way to his jaw.

Rolling her eyes, Elinor turned back to the other three.

"I'm sorry, Queen Elinor," Elsa said in a squeaky voice, nothing moving except for her lips, paralyzed with fear.

"Mum," Merida cut in. "You have no right to speak to the queen of Arendelle that way in her own house. You are her guest."

Elinor glared at Merida for a moment, fuming, then took a deep breath. "I apologize, Queen Elsa," she said, her voice clipped and formal. "I mean you no disrespect as my host or the queen of this land. I speak to you as my daughter's significant other, and only from concern for your safety and hers."

"I completely understand," Elsa squeaked, no less intimidated than she had been.

"Mum, knock it off," said Merida. "You honestly think we could get into any trouble? You've seen Elsa. You've heard of what she's capable of. She's the most dangerous thing in Arendelle. No man or beast could mess with us while I had her. And if there was any danger…" She brandished one of her own fists dangerously. "I would back her up, in every way I'm capable of."

"There are dangers that can't be fought," Elinor retorted. "You could have lost your way, or been trapped or injured in any one of hundreds— _hundreds_ —of ways that the wild places of the world can harm you. You should _always_ tell someone where you're going. You know that better than anyone, Merida. I can't help but be disappointed."

Merida sighed and turned to Elsa. "I suppose, if you want to get technical, my mum's right. It's basic safety protocol to tell someone where you're going so they know where to look in case something happens. Also to bring your _good_ pocketknife. She means well, babe, don't let her intimidate you."

"Thank you for your concern, M—erm, Queen Elinor," Elsa peeped.

Elinor put a hand on each of their shoulders, then nodded to Anna. "It's good to have you back safely, lasses. Just take care of each other. That's all I can ask, as a queen and a mother." She departed, graceful as ever.

"Oh, Anna!" said Rapunzel, tearing herself away from Eugene suddenly. "Sorry, this slipped my mind—the pressure you mentioned. Like, deep inside yourself?"

"Yeah," said Anna, nodding. "Pressure. It was odd. What was that?"

"If I had to guess… that was him getting all the way to the top," said Rapunzel.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, he's big. Kristoff… is big."

Anna's face brightened. "So, I wasn't just freaking out? He's actually big?"

"Not everybody can reach the top," said Rapunzel, winking. "You're lucky."

Anna grinned, nodding vigorously. "Kristoff is big. That's awesome."

~0~0~0~

"Anna?"

Anna jumped in surprise. Kristoff had come upon her with her ear pressed against Rapunzel's bedroom door.

"What are you doing?" Kristoff said cautiously.

Anna grasped her forearms behind her back, looking at the floor in shame. "I was, uh… I was listening to Rapunzel and Eugene doing it… hoping to pick up some tips." She peered through the keyhole. "But I can't see them because they're under the covers, so I've just been listening. Where have you been all day?"

"Looking for you."

"Oh," Anna said sheepishly. "Sorry… we went out on a picnic this morning, and I've been puttering around the whole city with Rapunzel all afternoon. We're, like… totally inseparable now. It's awesome. Exactly what I always wanted from my cousin."

"That's pretty great."

"It is, isn't it? And it hasn't been so much just the two of us lately. We've started hanging out with Elsa and Merida too. That's been so excellent."

"Right… Elsa and Merida…" Kristoff said uncertainly. "Is Elsa okay? I feel like she might need to watch herself. It seems like Merida is trying to come on to her."

Anna gaped at him. "Trying to come on to her? Kristoff, they're dating."

He straightened in surprise. "Wait, what?"

"Shh, it's a secret," she said hastily, lowering her voice. "Did we never tell you? You were supposed to be in on it."

"No… that would have been a nice thing to bring up," he said. "So, Elsa…? She's dating the… why would she?"

"Oh, come on, Kristoff, like it hasn't always been super-obvious that Elsa's a lesbian," said Anna, poking him in the belly.

"Really?"

"Nah, I'm just screwing with you, nobody had any idea. Especially not Elsa! It makes a lot of sense, you know, retroactively… but no, I never would have guessed. Mm, but it's so great. Elsa is… I can tell she's scared, but I just know that Merida makes her happy."

"It's, ah… it's always nice when Elsa's happy," said Kristoff.

Anna nodded seriously. "Because it's so rare, even now. But… maybe now it'll be a regular thing. She's in a wonderful relationship."

~0~0~0~

Some time later, under a starry sky, Anna and Kristoff sat on the balcony, sharing a pot of tea and a tray of biscuits.

"They're pretty serious," said Anna. "They've discussed getting married quite a bit."

"Yeah?"

"Yep," she said. "You and I… we don't seem to be very close to getting married, do we?"

"Not as far as I can tell, no," he muttered into his teacup.

"But we had sex," she said mischievously.

"Yes we did," he said, grinning.

"That's so cool."

"It sure is."

"We're real, adult lovers now."

"I guess we are."

"You're big, you know."

"Am I?"

"Certifiably so, if my information is correct."

They smiled at each other silently over the table.

"So," Kristoff said, almost inaudibly, "did you want to talk about marri—"

"It's bad, I know," said Anna, who hadn't noticed that he had started speaking. "But oooh, being bad felt so good. Didn't it feel good?"

He blinked at her. "So good," he mumbled.

"Mmph, I want to do it with you again so bad," Anna said anxiously, squirming in her seat. "But right now, all I can do is kiss your face like crazy."

In an instant, she skidded around the table, wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, and kissed every inch of his face that she could reach.

"Anna…" he chuckled affectionately.

"I _need_ you again," she whispered. "I need you all up inside me…"

She kissed him on the lips, whipping her tongue around madly inside of his mouth.

"But for now, I'll have to make do on my own," she said softly. "Goodnight." She ran back to her bedroom as fast as she could, leaving him dumbfounded but amused.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Hmm, I see this chapter was an elevation of sauciness quite consistently throughout its many scenes. Hehe, that's kind of cool.


	17. Day 9, Part 1

**AN:** Whoo, this chapter almost didn't get finished in time. I wanted to only start posting chapters once Book One was completely finished, but I got impatient and decided to just go ahead and start on June first and finish up the chapters during that time. It's been a lot harder than I thought it would be. Days 12 and 14 still aren't ready. I hope I can get them ready quick…

 **Day 9, Part 1**

Elsa waited in one of the secluded corners of the castle that she and Merida had found over the course of the past week. She adjusted some of the wall ornaments casually, brushing dust off of surfaces—other adjustments to the room that didn't really need to be made, but it calmed her nerves to have something to do while she waited.

"Hey, sexy! Happy one-week anniversary."

Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Merida flung her arms around Elsa's neck and smooched her, open-mouthed and ferocious.

"Mmm," Elsa exclaimed. "Merida, can I…?"

Merida pulled away, wrapping her hands around Elsa's waist. "This… has been the best week of my life," she said with conviction. "You are the sexiest woman on earth, and I want to be with you every minute of every day and get my hands on every inch of your body." She kissed Elsa's neck and squeezed her breasts.

"Unh… Merida…" Elsa whispered, her eyelids fluttering.

She interrupted again, placing her hands on the sides of Elsa's face. "Darling, when do I get to come into your bed?" she said, pouting. "The last thing I want is to be pushy, but… I ache for you." She kissed Elsa passionately.

"Merida, please…" Elsa muttered.

"Och, I'm terribly sorry," Merida said cheerfully, stepping back. "You were trying to say something. Whatcha wanna talk about, babe?"

"Mer…" Elsa slouched, looking pitiful and small despite how much taller than Merida she was. "It's been a good week, but I think we're moving a bit too fast, sweetie. Do you think maybe we can just… stop being physical with one another? Just for one day? P-please?"

Merida laughed. "Oh my God, you are _too_ cute. You know that? You and your whole family."

"Is… is that a yes or a no?" Elsa said blankly.

"Yes, of course," said Merida. She took Elsa by the hand. "This right here, this'll be as far as it goes today."

Elsa smiled. "You can get through a day with just the pleasure of my company?"

"Not so much as a kiss, my darling," Merida promised. "Just you and me and our stirring conversation. My anniversary gift to you."

~0~0~0~

Rapunzel entered the dining hall late, finding no stragglers there apart from Anna.

"Hey, cousin," she chirped. "How's it going?"

"Mm, well," Anna said, wincing, "just about what could be expected."

Rapunzel frowned. "Aww, what's that?"

"Oh, you know… with the way we timed my night with Kristoff… happy times are over now… got some pretty bad cramps this morning."

"Mmmm, yes, of course," Rapunzel said sympathetically. "Say, you know what's really great for cramps?"

"No, what?" Anna said curiously.

"Sex."

Anna giggled. "Kristoff and I are nowhere _near_ the skill level for messy, bloody sex."

"I know," said Rapunzel, laughing as well. "Just… a reminder. Come with me, let's get you some hot water. I know of a few _other_ things that are good for cramps."

~0~0~0~

"So, Merida, any plans to mark your first week as a couple?"

Merida glanced up. She had been rifling through the guest-room drawer, not realizing that her mother had been watching her intently.

"Plans?" she said blankly. "Kinda, yeah. We were gonna find a hidden place and… and make out."

"Isn't that what you do _every_ day?" said Elinor.

"Well, yeah, but today we were gonna do it a _lot_ ," Merida said dreamily. "That _was_ the plan, at least. Gonna be something different now."

"If I may make a suggestion," Elinor said pointedly, "I think your sweetheart deserves a proper date."

Merida pondered that. "We have _not_ had a proper date. That would definitely be… somethin'. Somethin' that I would be willing to try."

Elinor beamed. "That's wonderful, Merida."

Merida finally found her objective, a small black makeup kit, and brought it to the room's vanity mirror.

"Is that makeup?" said Elinor. "It is! I noticed you've been wearing makeup for a few days now."

"Well… tryin'," said Merida, shrugging. "Experimenting with it. I should look pretty for my beautiful-gorgeous girlfriend. I don't care about my looks as a rule, but I owe her that much."

"That's… yes," said Elinor. "You are… _really_ getting into this relationship thing. Even I didn't put this much effort into presentation for my betrothal."

Merida stared at the makeup box blankly, not opening it yet, before turning to her mother. "Can you help me?" she said. "I've been messing with it, but… I don't know how to do it properly. If this is gonna be a milestone date…"

"Of course," Elinor said promptly. "I'll help you figure out something tasteful."

They sat down together, and Elinor began applying the makeup to Merida's face.

"Still just your 'girlfriend'?" Elinor inquired. "Not engaged yet?"

"I'm afraid not," said Merida.

"Perhaps tonight?"

"No, that's… no, it's not that time yet," Merida muttered. "I mean, we know that we're going to get married, that's just… that's just how it works when royalty date, but… I think I should tell her I love her, then maybe sleep with her, _then_ officially become engaged."

Elinor raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You haven't told her you love her? _Or_ slept with her?"

"Mum, we've only been involved for a week," Merida said pointedly.

"…Is what a normal person would say," Elinor said dryly. "Not you. With how clear it is that you love her and would like to go to bed with her, it's… surprising that it hasn't happened yet."

Merida shrugged. "I love her madly, Mum, and I want to do things right. In a perfect world, _my_ world perhaps, we'd be married by now, our vows of everlasting love made and honeymooning it up like bunnies… you know, lesbian bunnies… but I'm choosing to live in Elsa's world, a more down-to-earth sort of world where these things take time."

Elinor pulled her hands away, having finished brushing and penciling across Merida's face. "You know, I rather think I _like_ Elsa's world," she said. "It's not like your world or mine. It seems so… fair."

Merida beamed.

"So, what do you think?" Elinor asked, turning her toward the mirror.

"Oh, lord," Merida said in alarmed. "Why, it's like I'm not wearing any makeup at all… it's like I'm just naturally an absolute tart!"

"I… don't think you know what 'tart' means," Elinor said dryly. "Your days of being a tart are behind you, I would imagine. But yes, you're beautiful."

Merida grinned, leaning in closer to the mirror to get a better look at the details. "Mum, you made me a complete hottie. I love it, thank you."

"'Hottie', yes, that'd be more accurate," Elinor muttered. "Ooh, I have an idea!"

Elinor opened the trunk at the foot of the bed and dug through it. "Here… wear this." She presented something to Merida that made the princess recoil instinctively: her golden circlet, inset with pearls and a single large green stone.

Merida slowly reached out and took it, eyeing her mother carefully. "You don't expect me to wear that ridiculous cowl with it, do you?"

"No, dear," Elinor laughed. "That's one tradition I was more than happy to break. I know better now than to do anything that conceals your amazing Merida hair. No other word for it, is there? It's just… Merida hair."

"Heh, that it is." Merida placed the crown on her head, deliberately making it tilted and uneven. "How do I look?"

"Like… you," said Elinor with admiration. "Like yourself. Like a princess. Like the bride of a queen. But like yourself nevertheless, and that's the important part."

Merida blushed. "Aw, Mum, you're just too much."

She started for the door, then swiftly turned on her heel.

"What do I do on a real date, Mum?" she pleaded. "I don't know how to be romantic. I only know how to rock her body and blow her mind. How do I make her love me?"

Elinor laughed. "I'm sure we can workshop some ideas."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Um… something about… Merida hair? I kind of have Merida hair. It's past the point where it's actually my style, I just haven't had the money to spare for a haircut for months. I usually wear my hair a bit long, but I think when I get the chance I'm gonna start all over and go for a very short, professional look.

Well, there you go, there's something nice and random for you.


	18. Day 9, Part 2

**AN:** All right, I'm pleased to report that Day 14, Part 1 is finished… and Day 14, Part 2—which, incidentally, is the final chapter of Book One—is coming along nicely… but Day 12 is proving extremely difficult. There very well may be a gap in the chapters before it finally comes along. We'll see. I'd apologize, but it's not like there's anybody caught up enough to be dependent on the daily updates…

 **Day 9, Part 2**

Out of the fireplace in the library, Rapunzel pulled out the ceramic jug full of hot water, and began wrapping it in several layers of wet cloth. Anna was nearby, laying on her back on a tiny day bed, naked apart from two white towels draped across her chest and hips.

"All right, here you go," said Rapunzel, gently setting the hot water bottle on Anna's abdomen.

"Ohhh, that's nice," Anna gasped, leaning her head back. "Ohhhh, yeah, that's nice… nice hot water bottle…"

"Invented here in Arendelle, if I'm not mistaken," Rapunzel said brightly.

"I can't believe I never thought of this before…" Anna marveled. "This is _so_ soothing…"

"And there's more where that came from, cousin," said Rapunzel. "I'm gonna remedy the _hell_ out of these cramps!"

She placed the fingers of both hands on Anna's sides, massaging her hips deeply, eventually moving on to her abdomen, slipping underneath the water bottle.

Anna sighed in relief. "Ooh… _wow_ , this is some massage… I had no idea how much I needed this… how do you know how to _do_ this?"

"I just… study a lot of things," said Rapunzel, shrugging. "Useful things… I always hope I can use that knowledge to help people… and now I am." On a sudden inspiration, she bent down and kissed Anna's forehead. When she straightened up, she saw Anna's eyes swimming with tears.

"I'm sorry," Rapunzel said hastily. "I just had this urge… this feeling, like you needed that."

"No, it's fine," Anna said hastily. "You were right, I do. I…" She sobbed before continuing. "I need affection so much. I've longed for it all my life, and what I get is… I feel like it's never enough. You know?"

"Oh… cousin…" Rapunzel bent down again and started pelting Anna's face with tiny kisses.

"Hey."

They both looked up. Elsa had quietly entered the room, trying to stay quiet and unobtrusive.

"They told me I could find you here," Elsa said apologetically, looking over Anna's tearful face. "Is everything okay?"

Anna wiped her face. "I'm fine, it's just cramps. Rapunzel's comforting me… she's got this nice remedy… she knows _everything_."

"So you're all right?"

"Yeah," said Anna, sniffling. "I'm awesome. Thanks."

"Okay," said Elsa, one hand on the door. "Merida and I were talking about having a big date, but if you need me…"

"I'm fine, Elsa."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. Go be with Merida."

"Okay." Elsa turned to go.

"Hey, Elsa?" said Anna.

She turned back. "Yeah?"

"Love you."

Elsa crossed the room and gently grasped Anna's hand. "I love you too."

They remained still and silent for a moment, then Elsa turned and truly did leave this time.

"Having a big sister is just about the best thing ever," Anna said wistfully.

"Oh, yeah?" said Rapunzel, resuming her massaging of Anna's hips. "Better than sex?"

"Mm, that remains to be seen," Anna said thoughtfully. "Sometimes I can't believe she's really back in my life again. Even after all this time it's kinda surreal."

"Savor it," Rapunzel advised her quietly. "Not everybody gets their big sister back after losing her."

"Huh?" said Anna, tilting her head to look at Rapunzel's face.

"Your mom was my mom's big sister, remember?" said Rapunzel. "She's sorely missed."

"Oh, wow, I never thought of that," Anna admitted in a hushed voice. "Poor Aunt Arianna. She's lost a lot of people. At least she got _you_ back. You know, eventually."

"Yeah," said Rapunzel. "Eventually."

Anna reached out and took her hand. "Well, you don't have to tell me that my mom is sorely missed. I know it."

Rapunzel grinned. "Hey, Anna. You know what's even better than a big sister?"

"No, what's that?"

"A twinsie."

"Eeee!"

They interlaced their pinkies again, holding loving eye contact.

"You know, Hans left me to die in this room," Anna said casually.

"What a prick," Rapunzel replied, even more casually, returning to her massage.

"The _worst_ prick."

~0~0~0~

Elsa sat in her throne, not bothering to conceal the slumped posture and bored expression she had developed over the past few minutes. Several rather seedy-looking gentlemen were simpering in front of her.

"You see, your majesty," one of them sneered, " _clearly_ what I say proves that—"

"Your majesty, please, _if_ you could simply take a look at _my_ evidence…" another interrupted.

"Queen Elsa?"

Elsa straightened in alarm and turned. Merida had entered the great hall through a side door, adjusting her crown to make sure it wasn't on straight.

"Oh my gosh, Princess Merida," said Elsa, a painful reminder piercing her heart. "We were supposed to… by God, you look beautiful, you're a… hi."

She darted off to the side, glancing nervously at the men.

"You didn't forget about our big… meeting?" said Merida, not bothering to lower her voice.

"Not at all, my… your highness, not at all," Elsa said hastily. "It's just…" Looking over her shoulder briefly, she dropped her voice to a whisper. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, these tax collectors turned up, I thought I'd be able to get through their issue before our date, but they're still going on and on… it seems they all think the others are embezzling from them, and they came to me to go over all the evidence."

Merida eyed the tax men, fuming. "Can't you just execute them all and be done with it?"

Elsa chuckled. "No, I can't kill people just because they happen to be tax collectors. I'd like to, mind you, but… I'm a Christian. I can only shame them for it." She gave them another quick look. "I'll get through this as quickly as I possibly can, sweetie. Wait for me, won't you?"

"Just tell them you have a hot date," Merida urged, tilting the crown a bit more. "Quit hiding and just come right out and say it."

"Stop pressuring me, Merida!" Elsa hissed.

"I'm sorry," Merida said hastily, calming down. "Come and find me when you're done, okay babe? I'll be right outside this door."

"Sure, honey," said Elsa. Aware of the tax collectors behind her, she kissed her own forefinger and pressed it against Merida's lips. "You're the best. I'll see you soon."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** The tax collection thing was originally intended to be some legitimate royal business that would have been a big deal, buuuut, not really knowing how that sort of thing would go, I reduced it to some petty criminal squabbling consisting of only two lines of dialogue. To do otherwise would have just been padding, anyway, it's not like it's important or will ever be revisited.


	19. Day 9, Part 3

**AN:** At this point? Still just waiting on somebody to get past Day 1. That is all.

 **Day 9, Part 3**

"…And, of course, the whole time we were playing with little toy unicorns, like… just to be incongruous, I guess."

Rapunzel and Eugene were having tea beside a huge window, giving them a clear look at a setting sun.

"It's just… so great to have girlfriends," Rapunzel continued. "I have never had that in my life. It's just so much fun to talk about shopping and fashion and sex… I had no idea how much I'd needed someone to talk to about that stuff. I didn't even know they were things I _wanted_ to talk about, and then all of a sudden it's like… yeah! There was just some secret, hidden part of me that needed that, I guess. Elsa and Merida are… they're so sweet together. And they have no idea what they're doing, and it's so cute. And as for Anna… like, wow. Anna is the greatest. I think I may love Anna more than I've ever loved anyone."

Eugene blinked at her, his expression blank.

"Erm… sorry," Rapunzel said awkwardly. "That was… I wasn't thinking. But you know what I mean."

He looked down at his teacup, not knowing what to say.

"I, um… I saw her naked today," Rapunzel said brightly.

He said nothing.

"Got her naked so I could put a hot water bottle right on her tummy for her cramps," she clarified, her voice drifting into mumbles. "I mean, I draped her with towels for most of it, of course, but I saw everything."

"Cool," he mumbled back.

"Do you want to see _me_ naked?" she asked, prodding him.

"Seen it."

"Eugene, don't be such a grump," she said, a sour note creeping in. "I'm sorry I said the stupid thing. You know I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean it, you know I love _you_ more than anyone."

"…Sorry," he said, looking up at her. "I just… I kinda miss you, Rapunzel. Every now and then. I spend most days just knocking around this castle. Don't get me wrong, I've spent my whole life wanting to knock around a castle, and having a _new_ one to explore after so much time in ours, well, that's beyond anything I've ever dreamed of… but I haven't seen very much of _you_. Only at mealtimes if I'm lucky, and then at bedtime…"

She looked down guiltily.

"And when I go back to Corona and you stay here," he continued, "I won't even get you then. I don't know if I can handle that."

"We went to _Fiddler_ together, didn't we?" she said, forcing a smile.

"And you spent the whole time princessing it up with your cousins and the redhead."

"I'm… come on…" Rapunzel said weakly. "I'm still a reliable, nightly sex machine."

"I know, all right?" he said kindly. "I'm not trying to be ungrateful. I just, I can't help it. As great as this trip has been, I've spent a lot of it… missing you."

She was silent. Their silence was interrupted by Anna passing by, jumping and swooping down upon them as soon as she noticed them. "Hey, Punzie!"

"Punzie?" said Eugene, amused in spite of himself.

"Punzie," Anna confirmed. "Rapunzerelli. The Punz!"

"Ayyy," said Rapunzel, raising both of her thumbs to Anna with a weak smile.

Anna laughed wildly and drifted off dreamily, the swerving of her path indicating that she was going nowhere in particular. Rapunzel watched her go, her expression tender but doubtful.

"You love her," Eugene stated.

"I do," said Rapunzel, sounding almost anguished. "I love her _so_ much."

"If I were to say…" Eugene said slowly. "If I were to even _think_ that I don't want you to stay here… I would be a horrible husband."

"No you wouldn't."

"Well, I'm still not going to say it," he said simply. "Or think it. I just want you to know that I'm gonna miss you a whole lot. But if this is what you need to do, you have my absolute support, because I love you."

"I love you too, Eugene," she said. "Thank you so much for understanding. I miss you when I'm with Anna too. That's why I've been such a beast in bed lately, because I've been thinking of you all day. And you'll notice we're alone right now, having an evening tea together." She raised her teacup. "Maybe I didn't think enough of it, but you're not the only one who's noticed we haven't seen much of each other on this trip."

He clinked his cup against hers with a broad smile, clearly mollified. "You honestly think you've been more of a beast in bed than usual? I'll be honest, I hadn't noticed in the slightest." He punctuated it by taking a sip of his tea.

"I'll prove it to you, right here, right now," she growled, smirking. "…Well, probably not here, but _now_ for sure."

~0~0~0~

Elsa slowly opened the door to a dark room, where she and Merida had hidden themselves away nearly a week earlier. It was an old weapons display, many of them in dusty glass cases, but the cases scattered around the room and several of the objects having fallen to the ground, sometimes having splintered the cases.

As she had expected, Elsa found Merida sitting in the shadow of a large wooden cabinet.

"There you are," said Elsa, sitting down next to her. "I've been looking everywhere… everywhere we were planning on taking the big date. That was the _worst_. I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Are you okay?"

Merida reached out and grasped Elsa's hand. "Of course I'm okay. I know a queen can't always give me her full attention. I was raised by one. I figured dating one would carry the same difficulties."

"I'm really sorry."

"It's all right, darling," said Merida, turning her head to beam at her. "Made it that much easier to go through the day without touching you. So, how'd the thing with the tax collectors go?"

"It was the _worst_ ," Elsa moaned, rubbing her temples. "I've handled really tedious and annoying business before, but… my God. Even if I _didn't_ have a date I'd rather have been on, that would still have been… the worst. I'm sure it goes without saying that I'd rather have been with you."

Merida beamed. "Of course it goes without saying. I'm a delight."

Elsa chuckled. "You sure are. You look beautiful, honey."

"You look the same as you always do," Merida replied. "Which is to say, absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you." She leaned her head on Merida's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Mer. I'll make it up to you tomorrow, all right? For now… I am as sleepy as all hell and I need to go to bed." She ran a finger down Merida's chest. "I'll see you in the morning."

Elsa kissed Merida's neck a few times, then stood up and helped Merida to her feet as well. They walked together through the castle halls in complete, contented silence. As they reached the intersection that would take them to their respective bedrooms, they squeezed each other's hands once and parted ways.

"My God, I love you," Merida whispered to herself. "I love you, Queen Elsa. I love you so much. So bloody much…" She ran her fingers through her own hair. "If I only knew when and how I was supposed to say that to your face."

~0~0~0~

"Unh… unh… unh… so… am I a beast?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Say it!"

"Rapunzel, you're a beast!"

"Tame the beast, Eugene… you're the beastmaster!"

Anna, peering through the keyhole of Rapunzel's guest room, could see everything this time, as they were fully atop the blankets and Rapunzel was, for all intents and purposes, sitting upright. "OMG, they're talking dirty!" she squealed to herself gleefully. "That is so hot! Eee, here it comes—do it, Punzie!"

"Oh yeah," Rapunzel gasped. "Yeah… yeah… ooooooh!"

As Rapunzel fell flat on her back, Anna darted away from the door and pressed her own back flat against the wall, wide-eyed and grinning broadly. "Wow, that was awesome," she gasped. "I have got to try that…"

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Well, not much left to say except that the three Day 9 chapters are by far the shortest chapters the story has yet seen, the only chapters to date to be less than 2,000 words. Perhaps they didn't need to be broken into three chapters.

Heh, no, that's not all that's left to say. I suppose I should address the fact that I'm now experimenting with pushing the boundaries far enough that a bit of a sex scene just happened on-page.

…There, it's been addressed. Just… the sort of thing that is, very occasionally, when the moment is right, going to happen.


	20. Day 10

**AN:** All right, 20 chapters, sort of entering a home stretch area… God, I wish somebody was around so I had something to saaaaay…

 **Day 10**

Merida purposefully strode down the hallway toward Elsa's bedroom and rapped on the door.

"Queen Elsa?" she said, in a very formal voice and trying to suppress a smirk. "You summoned me?

"Yes, Princess Merida," came Elsa's voice, equally businesslike. "Could I see you in here for a moment?"

Merida swept into the room and quickly shut the door behind herself. Elsa was sitting on her bed, wearing nothing but a white satin camisole and matching panties, both trimmed with bright blue ribbons.

"Oh my," said Merida, eagerly glancing over Elsa's body. "What's up, babe?"

"Well, first of all, I'm still sorry about yesterday," said Elsa, who was in the process of doing her hair into two braids, similar to what Anna usually wore. "It's definitely not what either of us wanted as a way to celebrate our first week as a couple. But you took it gracefully, and for that you have earned, if nothing else, the sight of me in my underwear. What do you think?" Her braiding finished, she spread her arms invitingly.

"All is forgiven, babe," Merida said, licking her lips lustfully. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good," Elsa said thoughtfully. "A day without physical intimacy was the right call, I think. I feel very refreshed and very, very ready for more kissing."

"Ready?" Merida said eagerly. "Like, right now?"

"Achingly," Elsa said, standing up and crossing the room to Merida in two huge, rapid strides, both of her hands slipping around Merida's body to squeeze her rump.

"Eep! Oh, your majesty!" Merida said passionately.

"One week," said Elsa, marveling at the notion.

"One whole week," Merida agreed. "That's pretty cool."

They kissed passionately, Merida's hands immediately creeping up Elsa's belly to her breasts, squeezing them a few times. Elsa allowed it until Merida attempted to slip one hand under the camisole, at which point Elsa broke the kiss and batted Merida's hands away.

"That's enough of that," said Elsa, smiling. "I _just_ got comfortable with a seven on the snogging scale, let's hold off on the eight for a while."

"All righty then," Merida said pleasantly.

"One little thing at a time, Princess. Another time, for sure."

"For sure," Merida agreed, gazing hungrily at Elsa's nipples, which could be seen clearly through the thin white fabric. "You're a bit of a tease, you know that?"

"I don't mean to be," Elsa said sheepishly.

"I know you don't, lass," said Merida. "And I'm not complaining or criticizing. I'm just saying… there's teasing involved."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You have every right to draw the lines wherever you'd like them to be."

"I'm certainly not _trying_ to drive you crazy by… by moving the lines around all the time…" Elsa mumbled.

"You only drive me crazy in the best ways," Merida said reassuringly, sliding her hands down to Elsa's hips.

"Don't let me put you off trying," Elsa said quickly. "Keep trying to push those limits a little farther, always. Always. And I will too." She winked, and her hands immediately shot up to squeeze Merida's breasts.

Merida jumped in surprise. "Ha! Nice one, babe."

Elsa frowned at Merida's chest. "Wow, you're _really_ flat, I don't even know how I did that. No offense."

"None taken. I consider myself a rare commodity." Merida pushed her shoulders back. "They're as sensitive as anyone else's, regardless, so… that felt nice. Want to see them?"

"Later," said Elsa, bending down to kiss her forehead. "It's crazy enough that we've gone this far in just a week…" She realized that she had left quite a bit of her freshly-applied lipstick on Merida's forehead. "Oops… I'll, uh… clean that up."

As Elsa rummaged around her bedroom for a handkerchief, Merida went to the window to look at the morning sky. "Ah, what a week, though," she said dreamily. "Lots happened, but still, it went by like it was no time at all."

"I would have to agree with that."

"I mean, I just very nearly got to an eight," Merida went on. "That's a pretty long way to go on a ten-point scale in such a short time."

"Mm-hmm."

"Although… hrmm… I've never thought about the snogging scale in relation to _my_ sex life," she pondered. "A nine and a ten are pretty much the same thing when there's no, you know, male equipment involved… a nine would constitute 'the full monty' for us…"

"Er… how about we call it a nine when one of us gets there, and a ten when we both do?" Elsa suggested, coming up to Merida with a white cloth in hand.

"That sounds good," said Merida, turning to face her.

As Elsa wiped the lipstick stain off of Merida's forehead, she suddenly went even paler than usual, her face sinking and looking a bit sick. "Oh, God. It didn't seem real until just now when we discussed the particulars of going all the way, but… that's gonna happen, isn't it? We _are_ going to have to have sex with each other at some point, aren't we?"

"Have to?" Merida inquired, her voice playful but her eyes full of fear.

"Not what I meant," Elsa said weakly. "I want to, of course, but… it's a scary thought. You know, I've _definitely_ never… before… it's a lot to think about."

"Well… I have," Merida said gently. "Okay? And I've made my decision that I'll be ready to come to your bed whenever you say the word. I'll follow you there, and… maybe you can let me lead from that point? I know what I'm doing."

"You do," Elsa realized. "That's… comforting. Thank you, Merida. Yes… I will follow your lead."

"Above all else, I want to be your friend," said Merida. "That's the most important part. Never forget." With her face wiped off, Merida stood up tall and pulled Elsa down to kiss her forehead back.

Elsa went pink. "I… I want to be your friend too. Um… hey, Merida?"

"Yes?"

"The morning after your first day here, you kinda gave me… bedroom eyes," said Elsa, a bit flustered. "Can I see that again?"

Merida complied, half-closing her eyes and pouting.

"Wow, that's good," Elsa breathed. "No wonder you have so much experience with women…"

Merida flipped her hair proudly. "It's the one thing I didn't need any practice to get good at, it seems. Seems it's something I could always just… do. Having a solid beginning like that has made it easier to learn the rest, to be sure."

"Heh…" Elsa chuckled.

"Think I could see yours?" said Merida.

Elsa made the same face, aiming it sidelong at Merida coquettishly.

"Oh, that is _excellent_ ," said Merida, instantly pulling Elsa into a deep smooch.

"No…" Elsa said faintly. " _That_ is excellent." Her legs were shaking from the passion of the kiss, and her knees nearly buckled.

"It was just too much," said Merida, entranced. "Promise me you won't make that face again until you're ready to back it up by leading me into your bed."

"We'll call that the signal that I'm ready," Elsa said brightly.

"Good deal." Merida kissed her again.

~0~0~0~

"Okay… this is all in order. We just need your signature here, and the royal seal of Corona here."

"You got it."

Rapunzel signed the parchment, and stamped it with a wax seal. Elsa handed the contract off to her advisors, who scurried away with it. Immediately after being left alone with only Rapunzel, Elsa stood up off her throne and went through a series of shoulder and arm stretches.

"So… how you doing, Elsa?" said Rapunzel.

"I'm doing fine," said Elsa. "Why are you always asking me that?"

"Well, I care about you," said Rapunzel. "And you always look really anxious."

Elsa sighed and slumped. "Do I? I expend so much daily effort into trying _not_ to look anxious."

"And it's a valiant effort, for sure," said Rapunzel with a grin. "But… I can't explain it, because for eighteen years my only social contact was with my domineering captor and my chameleon, but somehow, I _get_ people."

"You do," said Elsa. "I hear your work with the community turned a really bad neighborhood into a five-star establishment."

"Oh yeah," said Rapunzel, nodding enthusiastically. "When I first came to the Snuggly Duckling it was a really seedy pub, but only because its patrons were misunderstood, disenfranchised… but now, yeah, it's Corona's biggest center for art and culture and technology, all because I… I gave them a chance."

"Wow."

"I could do that because I understood the people there, and what they needed in order to make their dreams come true," Rapunzel said with conviction, her eyes glazing as she peered into the past. "Sometimes you just have to throw a little love someone's way. Can I throw a little love your way?"

"I've got all the love that I need," said Elsa, smiling. "But I'll gladly share some more with you, thank you. I'm glad you came here, cousin."

They kissed each other on the cheek formally, then embraced.

"Does that love, by any chance, include Merida?" Rapunzel asked.

Elsa shifted, stepping away from Rapunzel, and looked out the window wistfully. "I, uh… I think we love each other, yes."

"Does she know that?"

"It's… far too early to say. But I'm sure she knows."

"Sometimes knowing isn't enough, Elsa," Rapunzel said gently. "Sometimes people need to hear the words."

"It's far too early for the words," said Elsa, her face reddening.

"I don't know about that, but… you just do you, cousin, all right?" said Rapunzel, grinning broadly. "I'm really proud of you. You're a good queen."

Elsa turned and smiled at her. "I don't get that a lot. Thank you."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** …I got nothin'.


	21. Day 11

**AN:** Well… I guess another shout-out to my three reviewers, Pixargirl, Loopin' Lunan95, and Sassymouse. Just a treat for you if any of you ever actually get to this point. :P

 **Day 11**

Anna found herself on a castle terrace, the same secluded place where Elsa and Merida had had their first official date, such as it was. Aimless wanderings such as this were common for Anna when she found herself alone, and she wasn't sure how she had ended up in this area.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sight of Kristoff, at a little table, sipping tea from a comically-undersized teacup.

"Oh, haaai, Kristoff," she said disarmingly, waving to him. "What brings you out here?"

"Well, it's teatime, isn't it?" he said pleasantly. "So, I'm having tea."

She sat down opposite him. "And how is it?"

He shrugged. "I don't see the appeal. Tea? At the same time every day? Just seems unnecessary."

She reached out and took his hand. "Well, you're not supposed to have teatime alone, sweetie. Why don't we start having teatime together, you and me?"

He raised his teacup to her in acceptance of her offer, and she giggled.

"So… wow… how crazy different have things been since we had sex?" said Anna, sitting down and suddenly bearing a manic grin.

"Pretty crazy different," he replied dispassionately. "I've barely seen you since then."

Anna winced. "Ooh. That's not the answer I was… expecting. I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm totally crazy about my cousin Rapunzel! She's my best friend, I think. I never had a best friend before. Aw, don't be jealous or anything. I'm completely crazy about you too. My man." She stood up and went around the table, where she started pawing at his body. "My beautiful, strong, powerful man. Don't worry, you'll be seeing more of me. Rapunzel won't be here forever. And anyway, we owe all of _this_ "—she did a seductive hip sway in his direction—"to her, you know. To Rapunzel. She told me how to… _express_ how I feel for you. What I want from you. Sorry, from _us_."

He placed his hands on her hips. "Well, I'll have to thank her, then."

"Mm-hmm!" Anna said jubilantly, sitting down in his lap.

"So… what else _do_ you want from me-slash-us?" he asked her.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about right this minute," she said, tapping a hand against his cheek. "I just want to _know_ you, Kristoff. In ways I haven't yet."

He nodded. "I get what you're saying. And… well, I've pretty much just been going with the things you've been talking about, but… why, again, can't we sleep together again? What's all this about being the right time…?"

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed. "Did I never explain that? No, I guess I didn't. Well, I only want us to have sex on my safe periods, so I don't get pregnant before we're married. Those are the days before my _actual_ period, which is due on, approximately, the fourth of April. So we'll have a chance to sex each other up in those few days before then, then we gotta wait another month."

"Wow," Kristoff remarked. "That is a lot more planning than I'm accustomed to from you…"

"It's called practicing safe sex, Kristoff," Anna said solemnly. "Gotta take it seriously. So… yeah, I'm sorry I've been spending so much time with Rapunzel. She's new and she's cool, but she's got her own kingdom to run, and she won't always be here to distract me from you. You know I completely adore you." She thrust her hand down between his legs and grabbed.

A full-body shudder ran through him at the touch. "Take it easy there, cowgirl," he laughed.

"It… was… magical," Anna said passionately. "I'm really looking forward to when we do it again. I'm gonna try to learn some… tricks I can do."

"Oh, for sure. Me too."

"Really?" She ran her hands over his chest again. "You liked making love to me, then?"

"I sure did." He kissed her.

Anna sank into the kiss, pressing her body as close to his as it possibly could. "Lemme ask you something… something important…"

"Yes?"

"…Do you like my breasts?"

"Oh, are you kidding? Of course I do. I've always been crazy about them."

Anna pouted. "Why? They're not big."

"I don't care," he said, absent-mindedly staring. "I love them." Right through her dress, he pinched her nipple.

"Ouch."

"Sorry." He kissed her forehead.

"So," she said gently, interlacing her fingers on the back of his neck. "Have you been reading those books that Elsa and Merida recommended? Those Marvel books? Apparently, it's like a six-book series, but it's not… totally apparent… at first? Well, those two are certainly right, I've never seen a series of books that worked like that. I'm still halfway through _The Brute_ , which comes… _between_ the two _A Man of Iron_ books? Doesn't make much sense…"

"Really?" said Kristoff. "Only two books in? I'm nearly done with the fourth."

"Wow," said Anna. "And the fourth is… the one with Thor, right?"

" _The Legend of Thor_ , yes," said Kristoff. "I'm not sure I approve of these Brits' depiction of the Scandinavian gods—claiming they're some sort of advanced alien civilization. Very implausible. I might have to write them a strongly-worded letter."

Anna tilted her head. "Aren't you Sami?"

"Yes, which means I'm more Scandinavian than you."

"Wow," Anna remarked. "Touchy."

~0~0~0~

In the depths of the royal stables, the numerous horses and lone reindeer stood in their stalls, occasionally nickering in irritation at the noises coming from the seemingly empty stall at the end of a row.

In that stall, Merida and Elsa slowly, shakily got to their feet. They were both dazed, seeming only half-conscious, and their faces, necks, and chests were smeared with each other's lipstick.

"Oh my God," Elsa said in contentment. "You are… so wonderful. I don't know how I ever lived without you." She reached into her cleavage for the handkerchief she was keeping there, but her fingers were stiff and numb and couldn't grip it.

"Allow me," said Merida. With one hand, she held Elsa's body still in place and with the other, she retrieved the handkerchief, slowly, savoring every bit of contact with Elsa's skin. Deft as she was, her eyelids were drooping and her jaw slack.

"So amazing," Elsa went on, taking the handkerchief and beginning to scrub away at Merida's face. "The only thing better than making out is making out in really weird crazy places…"

"I'll drink to that, as soon as we get our hands on a drink," Merida replied, smirking. "You're a great snog, lass, and you just keep getting better."

"I have a good teacher," said Elsa, gently kissing the tip of Merida's nose.

"I'll wear the hickey on my chest like a badge of honor," Merida whispered, making a mocking gesture toward trying to bite Elsa's nose.

"Eee!" Elsa exclaimed, backing away. "You're just… so… amazing." Completely forgetting her task of cleaning Merida's face, she reached out a single hand and set to fondling Merida's breast in an absent, repetitive motion.

"I want to…" Merida began in a whisper, but didn't finish. Elsa looked up at her curiously. "I want to… do this all over again someplace else."

Elsa beamed. "Yes… yes… more kissing and touching and squeezing, that's… that's all I need."

They both sighed and averted their eyes in disappointment before turning to face each other again.

"All right," said Elsa. "Well, let's get our faces cleaned up, have some dinner, and then… what do you think, does the clock tower sound like a nice place?"

"Lead the way, my darling," Merida said sweetly.

They kissed, gently, tenderly, before running out of the stables hand in hand.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Does this chapter move anything forward? No, not really. The things I write are, first and foremost, slice-of-life, and more often than not it means an actual slice, separate, not connected to what came before and after. I wish more fiction had the guts to do that every once in a while. Things like the party scene in _Avengers: Age of Ultron_ , just… give our characters some time to kick back and party and not worry about anything. Stories require conflict, of course, but give our characters some time to breathe once in a while, I say.


	22. Day 12

**AN:** Phew, okay, I did it! I finished this chapter in time. Woof, this was a hard chapter to do. But… absolutely one of my favorites.

 **Day 12**

Eugene entered the dining hall, casually grabbing items off serving plates without the slightest pause in his stride, loading the large dinner tray he was using as a plate with open-faced sandwiches stacked with meat cuts and spreads, and cups of juice and coffee. He took a seat at the head table beside Kristoff, its only other occupant.

"Heya," he said jovially. "Uh… Stefan, was it?"

Kristoff blinked at him. "It's Kristoff, actually."

"Oh. Wow, not even close. Uh… sorry."

They sat in silence, smacking their lips absently.

"Well, gosh, where _are_ our ladies?" Eugene said casually.

Kristoff was silent for a long period of time before answering. "Anna and Rapunzel went out biking, out to… some waterfall or someplace. Apparently, it's… I dunno. Significant. Not that they gave me any details."

"Uh-huh," Eugene said, trying to sound fascinated.

They went silent again, picking at their food.

"Soooo," said Eugene, "how's life in the got-laid club? Heh heh… heh… meh, I thought I could pull off saying that, I can't, I'm sorry."

"It's great," Kristoff said flatly.

"Careful there, you almost sounded sincere," Eugene said dryly.

Kristoff looked directly at Eugene, who smiled at him expectantly. Sighing, Kristoff submitted and spoke. "I mean… it _is_ great. She's, you know, good in the sack, as they say, far as I can tell from the… the one time. It just bugs me, is all."

"What bugs you?" said Eugene, leaning in closer.

"She's _barely_ spoken to me since then," said Kristoff. "At least not about anything other than doing it. Last time, next time…"

"Well, come on, man, you gotta admit that's a pretty good deal," Eugene chuckled.

Kristoff raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, I've had the same complaint since we got here," Eugene said seriously. "That I barely see Rapunzel except in the bedroom. It sucks, but when you say it out loud it doesn't sound like such a bad thing. What have we got to complain about? Our girls want our bodies and can barely think of anything else. That's supposed to be a good thing. So, you know, let's try to enjoy this. They're having a good time with and without us, we can try to do the same."

"I guess," Kristoff said dully, jabbing at his food with a fork.

~0~0~0~

"Elsa, darling, where _are_ we going?" Merida laughed. "Not all the way up the mountain?"

"No, we just need a decent vantage point," said Elsa. "I think this is high enough."

She dropped her picnic basket. "There it is," she said, pointing to another peak. "See that big ice castle up there?"

Merida squinted through the clouds and mist. "I don't… whoa. Oh, wow! You made that?"

"Yup," said Elsa. "My fortress of solitude, if you will. Really tested the limits of my powers there. I haven't really done that since then, because… well, because now I'm not so sure they _do_ have limits, so I think it's best to keep it simple… anything bigger than what I already know I can do would be kinda… apocalyptic… soooo, I try to keep the use of my powers in small doses."

Merida smiled wryly. "Remind me never to piss you off."

"Eh… that's not…" Elsa mumbled.

Merida gently stroked Elsa's hair. "I'm kidding. I'd never do that anyway. I'm not afraid of you, lass."

Elsa smiled back.

"So, about that castle…" said Merida, looking up at it. "Nice that it's still standing! Sad relic of a sad time, perhaps, but it's beautiful."

Elsa nodded. "I like looking at it sometimes."

"It's empty now, I take it?"

"No, a giant snow monster lives there. I made him, too. He's sort of Arendelle's curmudgeonly neighbor now."

Merida blinked. "Well, that's… _very_ interesting."

"I've had an overly-interesting life," Elsa said dryly. "Especially that couple of days when those things were made…"

Merida ran her fingers through Elsa's hair. "Well, how about we take a moment to be dull and boring and… break out the picnic?"

Elsa beamed. "That'll do it."

They laid out the picnic blanket and distributed the food.

"Okay, I have to ask this at some point," said Elsa, blushing a bit. "What are your thoughts on geometry?"

Merida shrugged as she buttered a roll. "I think you have a fabulous waist-to-hip ratio, if that counts as geometry, but that's about as far as it goes."

Elsa snickered. "Fair enough."

"Why d'you ask?"

"Oh, it's just… I'm a fan." Elsa made a gesture with her hands as though encircling an invisible ball, and a complex geometric pattern made of floating ice appeared there, rotating on an axis. "Pretty cool, right?"

Merida raised her eyebrows, genuinely impressed. "Indeed."

"I think so," said Elsa, making it vanish. "I mean… I made that castle in under a minute, and it's still there. Can't do that without… geometry."

"Geometry," Merida echoed. "Well, I can't say I'm the brainy sort, but I find it very attractive that you are. That's a good… couple thing. By all means, don't hold back. Tell me all about what you love about geometry."

Elsa blushed. "Well, um… the thing about math is that it's always true. It never changes. There are so many uncertainties in this life… with turbulent emotions, and chance… well, I won't bore you with the details."

"You could never bore me, Elsa."

"Just forget about geometry," Elsa said in a tiny voice. "How about astronomy? Would you like to… to look at the stars with me sometime?"

"That sounds interesting," Merida said eagerly. "Better than geometry, I suppose…"

"I guess most things are," said Elsa. Her bowl of pudding froze in her hand.

"Elsa… calm down," said Merida. "What can I do to calm your nerves, lass?" She kissed Elsa's forehead.

Elsa looked over Merida's shoulder at the long, wrapped bundle she had brought. "Honey, what have you got in that bundle?"

"Skis," said Merida.

"You brought skis?" Elsa said in apprehension.

"Well, being that we were ascending a mountain and all…" Merida said brightly. "Er… thought maybe we'd be hitting the North Mountain what's got actual snow on it…"

"Well, that's… it's not…" Elsa mumbled. "W-where did you get skis?"

"Bought them in town real early this morning."

"Ah, got it, that's sort of a running gag, then?"

"Aye, pretty much."

Elsa got to her feet. "All right, babe, you want to ski, we'll ski. All we need is a path." She put one hand to her forehead and extended the other, her eyes closed. "Hopefully a path that doesn't disturb the local plant life too much, aaaaand—here we go."

Frost shot out of her hand, and a snowy path appeared, starting at their picnic spot and slowly snaking its way down the mountain. Eyes wide, Merida stood up to get a better look at it, and could faintly see it making its way all the way back to Arendelle Castle.

"Good lord," Merida whispered. "No limitations…" She grinned at Elsa. "No limitations indeed."

Elsa smiled back nervously. "D-don't look at me that way, sweetie…"

"I'm sorry, babe," said Merida, taking a step closer and stroking Elsa's arm. "I'm just impressed. I've got a magical girlfriend."

Elsa chuckled. "And what are you going to do with that?"

"Same thing I'd do if I had a thoroughly non-magical girlfriend, babe," Merida assured her. "Your powers are yours to… to do whatever you want to do with 'em. All I gain from your power is… is however it makes you… you."

Elsa sighed. "Surprisingly, I kind of needed that. No one besides Anna has been interested in just me since forever. Ever since I went public, I've just been fielding a lot of weird questions. Leaves me wondering if I'm anything besides a queen and a sorceress."

Merida stroked Elsa's face. "You're ever so much more than that to me. Got your skis, lassie?"

"Of course." Elsa pointed down at the ground, where perfectly smooth skis of pure ice materialized under her feet.

"Fantastic," said Merida. "I'll… I'll get mine on, then."

She turned to unwrap her bundle. Elsa stood and watched her, content and curious, every movement Merida made seeming fascinating and delightful to her.

"God, I want you so much," Elsa said under her breath.

~0~0~0~

Anna and Rapunzel hopped off their bikes and walked out onto a grassy outcropping behind two small, trickling waterfalls.

"Well, here's the place," Anna said wistfully.

"It's a wonderful place," said Rapunzel, looking around at the peaceful scene.

"And here…" said Anna, kicking at a patch of grass near the outcropping's edge. "Here's the very spot. He just looked so cute and awkward and sweet… it was like he was built for me, every word perfectly tailored to what I needed. That's because he engineered it to seem that way, of course…"

Rapunzel tilted her head in interest as she gazed at the scuff Anna had left in the dirt. She stepped forward, standing over that very spot.

"It's _my_ spot now," she declared, seizing Anna and pulling her close.

They embraced, hands around each other's waists, and swayed in place, doing a little waltz.

"Punzie…" Anna said affectionately.

"Anna," Rapunzel replied. "Cousin. Twinsie. You've learned from me. You've taught me. Spending time with you has just been so… wonderful. Princess, would you do me the great honor… of becoming my very best friend, forever and ever?"

Anna tensed up. "Best friends?"

" _Best_ friends," Rapunzel asserted.

Anna's lip trembled. "Oh, Punzie, it's so sudden and forward… yes. Yes, I will. And you're _my_ best friend too. I've been saying it for… since, like, yesterday…"

They leaned in close, rubbing their noses together.

"I love you _so_ much," Anna said passionately.

"I'm crazy about you, Anna," Rapunzel agreed. "I never would have guessed this is what I would find here in Arendelle."

"Neither would I, when you came here," said Anna, nodding. "But I always hoped. Always."

They sat down, gazing off into the distance.

"Wow… the view is even better during the day," Anna observed.

"Couldn't have picked a better spot, Anna."

"I'm never avoiding this place again. Because I know I'll never regret what just happened here."

Anna reached out and took Rapunzel's hand. Rapunzel responded by scooting closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Anna leaned against the contact, resting her head on Rapunzel's chest and shoulder. Rapunzel gently kissed the top of her head.

~0~0~0~

Eugene was reclined in bed, thumbing through a book and only half paying attention to what he was reading, when Rapunzel unexpectedly burst through the door and tackled him, kissing him madly.

"Agh!" Eugene cried. "Rapunzel, I can't breathe!"

"Sorry," she chirped, sitting beside him and snuggling him.

"Hot date with Anna, I take it?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"That's cool," Eugene said dispassionately. "She gets you all fired up and I have to take care of it, that's real nice…"

"Hey now," she laughed. "Who cares where I get my appetite as long as I dine at home? Am I right?"

"I suppose," he said, pulling her closer. "Just so I'm clear, are we… are we not joking? Does being with her actually turn you on?"

"No!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "No. We're friends. Well, we're a lot more than friends… by which I mean we're like sisters. We're twinsies! That's what we call ourselves. Well, she called us that just because of this one time we were wearing the same color, that's what 'twinsies' usually means, but she really is like my twin. …I like her a lot. She's full of energy and she excites me, that's… that's why I'm so turned on when I get back to you. It's just pure exhilaration that I need to give in to, that's all." She kissed Eugene's cheek. "Know what I mean? I like hearing about her blossoming sex life and telling her about ours… I hope that's okay."

"Of course," he said immediately. "That's what women do, they tell each other everything."

"Yes. Exactly! That's what I _thought_. I wasn't sure… never had a gal pal before to talk about stuff like that with… but it felt so natural to just… let her in, and give her everything." She pulled herself closer to Eugene, her huge innocent eyes piercing him. "So, what do you think, Eugene? Think you can give me a really fun story I can tell her tomorrow?"

"Oh, sure," he said, pulling her on top of himself, kissing her chest and neck repeatedly before working his way up to her lips. "So, how much fun _is_ Anna's sex life, exactly?" he asked. "I spent some time with her boyfriend today. He is _really_ dull."

"Well, he's not _your_ boyfriend, so maybe you're just not seeing that side of him," she said, giggling. "I hear he's a suave action hero like yourself. And apparently extremely competent for a first-timer, because Anna's only slept with him once and won't stop gushing about it."

"'Gushing'. Interesting word choice."

Rapunzel threw her head back and crowed with laughter. "A complete accident, but it works!" She gazed at him fondly. "Remember _our_ first time? What'd it take, eight minutes?"

"Okay, I'll have you know eight minutes is a very long time."

"It's a long time for intercourse, Eugene, not for the _whole thing_."

"It was I-can't-believe-we're-alive sex, that's allowed to be over quickly…"

"Fair enough. I'm not criticizing, Eugene. I'm just saying there was room for it to get better… and it did." She snuggled up to him again, gently pawing at his body.

"And how about the queen?" he asked, running his hand up and down her back. "How's she doing?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "She seems all right. I'm not spending as much time with her as I thought I would. I thought she'd _need_ me, you know, someone to talk to… but she's dating the princess of DunBroch now. Oh, that must feel sooo good, so… liberating! I mean, the way they looked at each other over dinner on that first night… _such_ an obvious attraction on Elsa's part… but she just didn't know. I bet she felt like it wasn't normal. But now… oh, it's so great the way she accepts herself. Nope, it turned out to be Anna who needed me the most, needed someone to talk to."

"And that's why you're… not coming back home with me," he said softly.

Rapunzel nodded. "Anna and I need to make up for lost time. She needs a cousin, and… well, so do I."

He hugged her tighter. "I love you so much, Rapunzel."

"Mmmm. And I love _you_."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** We're so close to the end of this chapter in their lives. Feels good. Just wish I had someone to share it with. Ah, but that'll come in time. Won't be like this forever. :)


	23. Day 13

**AN:** Doot-de-doo… it's way too early in the morning to come up with an AN… la la la…

 **Day 13**

Anna skipped down the castle hallways, scatting a jazzy tune and twirling and swaying to it, skipping side to side and occasionally backward, taking her time as she made her way to Rapunzel's room.

She burst into the room without knocking. "Hey, Punzie, what are we—whoa!"

"Anna!" Rapunzel scolded through a gasp of pleasure.

Anna turned on her heel and left the room, slamming the door behind her. "Sorry!" she peeped.

"It's okay!" Rapunzel called from within the room.

"Don't stop on my account," said Anna.

"Wasn't planning to," said Rapunzel. "Just… wait at the end of the hall, I'll be there in fifteen, twenty minutes."

"Okay! You got it."

~0~0~0~

Twenty minutes later on the dot, Rapunzel joined Anna at the end of the hall. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," said Anna. "Walk with me?"

"Always and forever, cousin," Rapunzel said simply.

And so they did, traversing the hallways side by side, going nowhere in particular.

"What were you… about to say?" Rapunzel asked after a moment's silence.

"Oh, I was gonna ask what we were gonna do today," Anna said in relief. "Doesn't matter, I guess."

"Well… I've got to arrange Eugene's return voyage, a little bit," Rapunzel said. "Some plans have to be made to compensate for the fact that I'm not returning."

"Mmmmmmmmm."

"Mmmmm-hmm," Rapunzel agreed.

"So… sorry about that," Anna said awkwardly, tilting her head in the direction of the bedroom.

"It's fine, Anna."

"From what I saw, Eugene has a very nice back. Aaaand you have nicer breasts than I do."

Rapunzel glanced down at her own breasts, then at Anna's. "Oh… please. They're a little bit bigger, that doesn't make them better."

"No, bigger _is_ better in this case, because yours are pretty small and mine are _very_ small," said Anna, disgruntled.

"For your information, I'm perfectly average and you're just, you know, pleasantly petite," said Rapunzel. "Not small."

"Meh," Anna grumbled.

"There's no use in agonizing over boob sizes, Anna," said Rapunzel, laughing. "You really have to take what God gives you in that department. There's nothing that can be done."

Anna rolled her shoulders noncommittally. "Well, anyway, I'm sorry I walked in. …And that I've looked in on you through the keyhole a couple of times."

Rapunzel blinked.

"I just… you make sex sound so great… and since I've only had the one shot and I won't be getting it again until next month… I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Maybe pick up some tricks."

"…That's okay, Anna," said Rapunzel. "I'm not a very private person as it is, and you… _you_ can know all my secrets, it's fine."

"Thanks, Punzie," said Anna. "You guys are… you're _really_ hot together. How often do you guys do it?"

"Every day."

"Every _day_?"

"Twice, if we can. Once when we wake up in the morning and once when we go to bed."

"Wow…"

"Well, just between you and me I'd like to do it more often, but more than twice a day is kind of hard for a man to endure. Still, that's one of the things that makes sex so magical—it helps you wake up _and_ helps you fall asleep. The only other thing that does that is tea, and everyone in Europe and Asia is obsessed with that, so… there you have it."

"Is that… is that usual?" Anna inquired. "Doing it every day, I mean?"

"Not as usual as you'd think," Rapunzel said seriously. "I think it's what couples _should_ do. But that's just my opinion."

"Gosh," Anna breathed. "Why don't I do it with Kristoff every day?"

"Because you don't want to get pregnant."

"Oh, right. Forgot. Do you?"

"I do," Rapunzel said wistfully. "More importantly, _we_ do, Eugene and I, we both agree on it. So we're trying… I mean, we're not trying, per se, we just decided we wanted to have a baby, and… just kept having sex every day like we'd already been doing for much of our marriage."

Anna looked thoughtful, which made Rapunzel grin.

"Some women see it as a chore," she said, lovingly stroking Anna's hair. "But if you're having sex _properly_ , then… then doing it every day is something to be desired. Something every woman _deserves_."

Anna nodded. "And… that first night you were here, when we had the sleepover. You didn't have sex that night…"

"Yes, that was difficult for me," said Rapunzel. "But I made a judgment call. Eugene and I had gotten to a late start that morning, so I was fine. Having to skip it the next morning too was difficult, but we're back to normal now."

"Late start?"

"Oh, yeah, when Eugene and I arrived at the castle, we'd had sex, like, ten minutes earlier," Rapunzel said dismissively.

"Hehe… cool," Anna chuckled.

"And to think," Rapunzel mused, "back then I tried to look like I _hadn't_ just done it. To conceal it. Then that very evening we spilled all our sexy thoughts and desires to each other…"

"That was so great," Anna giggled, before frowning deeply. "…And you're going to have to go without that part of your daily routine just to help _me_ learn how to do it."

Rapunzel grasped Anna's arm, stopping her from walking further, and embraced her tightly. "I can deal with it," she said. "I might as well do _something_ with all the wisdom I've earned in the bedroom. We'll just pick up where we left off whenever I see him again. I led a life completely without sex until the day after my eighteenth birthday, I can do it again. And I'm not even twenty yet, I've got time to have a baby later. Don't worry, okay? I'm like a thousand percent prepared to do this thing for you."

~0~0~0~

The courtyard once again was covered in ice, and the four young women stood under the night sky again, unsupervised. Elsa gently shoved Merida forward onto the ice.

"Ohhhh, bloody hell," Merida said shakily, wobbling a bit on her skates before eventually gliding forward bit by bit, eventually circling the courtyard with what looked like vicious stomping and marching.

"Hmm," Elsa observed. "I might have known you were more the hockey type than the elegant dancer type. Whatever works for you, darling!"

As Merida finished her circuit and passed close to Elsa, she gave her a little peck on the cheek. "Darling," she said sweetly.

Elsa smiled. "Babe," she cooed back.

She kissed her gently, and Merida responded with a tight embrace and a wild, passionate kiss in return.

"Mmm!" Elsa squeaked. "Wow… you sure do get really into all our… our kisses. Can't stop yourself, can you? There are no _small_ displays of affection with you, are there?"

"You're really hot, okay?" Merida said with a mock-accusatory tone.

"I know," Elsa said, blushing. "…Sorry."

"Don't be," Merida said sweetly.

They kissed again, their hands running all up and down each other's bodies. Eventually, Elsa's knees buckled, and she gripped Merida tightly, dragging her down with her. They both tumbled to the side, their fall cushioned by a patch of fluffy, powdery snow which Elsa conjured from nothing in mid-fall. They landed with a loud _piff_ and didn't even pause in their kissing and groping, a tangle of limbs and lips lying on their sides in the depression they left in the snow.

Anna clasped her hands together in front of her heart, grinning broadly. "Oh my God, they are the greatest," she said. "They just can't stop!"

"They're certainly crazy about each other, no doubt about that," Rapunzel said admiringly. "We should, ah… shield them from view. In case anyone is around."

"Right!"

Anna and Rapunzel stood vigil in front of them, facing away from the passionate pair, whose kisses had become slow and gentle. Rapunzel put a hand around Anna's shoulders, and Anna responded by shuffling to the side, cuddling her, and they stood like that for some time.

~0~0~0~

"Hee hee, that was amazing!" Merida crowed as the four of them walked back into the deserted castle.

"Sure, babe, keep gloating," Elsa grumbled.

"I saw your naked boobies and they were fabulous," Merida sang.

"Yes, well, forgive me for not giving you free reign of them while my sister and cousin were standing over us," Elsa said dryly.

"Hey, we weren't looking," said Rapunzel.

"Didn't see a thing," said Anna.

"See, you _could've_ given me free reign," Merida taunted.

"Well, I—that's not—that's hardly—" Elsa stammered. "I just—who just pulls someone's boobs out of their dress out of nowhere like that?!"

"Accident!" Merida said, holding up her hands in surrender. "Accident. Didn't mean to."

"Suuuuure you didn't."

"I really didn't! I'm just not about to deny that I enjoyed the view and the feel. Accidental feel."

"Uh-huh."

"They weren't even cold," Merida said dreamily. "And so springy…"

"Yeah, laugh it up," Elsa said darkly.

Merida chuckled, and grasped Elsa's hands in hers. "Listen, in all seriousness… the last thing I would ever do is violate you. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course, sweetheart," said Elsa. "I wouldn't be taking this with such good humor if I didn't know that."

"So, my oversexed transgressions are forgiven once more?" Merida said playfully.

Elsa smiled. "Merida… you're the greatest thing since chocolate. I'd forgive you just about anything. And this… this could hardly be called crossing a line, considering… you know… we kinda feel each other up with impunity these days."

"Aye… that we do," Merida agreed. "Och, but gettin' a good look at them… I'm the luckiest girl in Arendelle right about now."

"Speaking of naked boobies, I saw Rapunzel's this morning," Anna said cheerfully. "Walked in on her with Eugene, got a glimpse."

"Yeah, well, I saw yours earlier this week," Rapunzel shot back, smirking. "I could've gotten those towels on you faster, buuuut, I was curious."

"Ooh, Punzie wins," Merida laughed.

They all stopped at an intersection of corridors, where three different paths led to their four different destinations.

"So…" Rapunzel said tentatively. "Tomorrow is… was supposed to be… our last day together."

"But it's not," Anna said sweetly, hanging onto Rapunzel's arm.

"What's the plan?" Elsa asked Rapunzel formally.

"Same as it ever was," said Rapunzel. "Our ships leave on Monday morning, only Merida and I aren't on them. Eugene and Queen Elinor report back home and… leave us with our own rooms." She grinned wryly. "And… what's the official story on why we're staying behind?"

"Well… the official story is… is not entirely untrue," Elsa said uneasily. "It is that the four of us have bonded and that you two are remaining with us for longer than we had planned as an expression of sisterhood, and to further cement the bonds between our kingdoms."

"Sisterhood, eh?" said Merida, waggling her eyebrows. "So we'll pretend to be sisters while we're secretly lovers? Hmmmm, now _that_ is what I call sexy. I might be able to get into this 'stayin'-in-the-closet' thing after all."

Elsa laughed. "We won't stay in the closet for very long. I promise."

Merida clasped her hand. "Well, I'm grateful for that, babe. Our secret affair has been fun while it lasted, but I truly can't wait to bring it out into the open."

Elsa smiled at her gratefully. "And you… you'll stay? I mean to say, you… don't mind that DunBroch won't be your home anymore? You're okay staying… in Arendelle? Even after Rapunzel returns home?"

"Of course, babe," said Merida. "I'll stay. This is where I belong now. With you."

"And… that's the way it's always going to be?" Elsa said, blushing.

"'Til my hair is as white as yours, my darling," Merida said sweetly.

Elsa stroked her own braid self-consciously. "My hair's not… it isn't _white_ -white, it's sort of blonde-ish… it's not old-lady white, is it?"

"'Course not," said Merida. "I was just bein' poetic." She looked down the empty halls. "Well… we'd best be off to bed. I do like an early start to the day. See you lasses in the morning. Anna, Punzie, perimeter check?"

Anna and Rapunzel kept an eye out in every direction, making sure the corridors were deserted as Elsa and Merida passionately shared a kiss goodnight.

"Sleep well, your majesty," Merida whispered.

"Pleasant dreams, my princess," Elsa replied tenderly.

Merida disappeared down one of the corridors, her echoing footsteps the only sound in the castle.

"You're going to marry that girl," Anna said fondly.

"I sure am," Elsa agreed. "But not before I give her my virginity. She's not seeing so much as a _glimpse_ of an engagement ring until she's put out that fire inside me. I can't hold out much longer. Her kisses just rile me up so much…"

Anna beamed at her.

"Not that I'm blaming her, of course," Elsa muttered. "She's the one who's been dying to jump into bed with me… I don't know how to tell her, though. And she hasn't asked me in days… she's been waiting for my signal… but I just can't…"

Anna threw her arms around Elsa from behind, hugging her.

"If not for you two, I never would have considered that as the order of things," Elsa went on, stroking Anna's hand. "I am _not_ ready for the production of getting married yet, but I sure do want her in bed."

Anna nodded. "Same here. You give me credit, but really we both owe Punzie for that revelation. She taught us that we don't have to rush into marriage to fulfill our desires."

"Don't put _all_ the blame for your corruption on me," Rapunzel said dryly. "Merida's got a few notches in her belt, I'm sure she'd have put the idea in your heads if I hadn't…"

"Anna, did it… did it hurt?" Elsa asked softly.

"What, losing my virginity?" said Anna. "Nah, not really. In the purely medical sense, I sorta-kinda lost my virginity years ago in a sliding-down-the-banister accident. So I didn't have to worry about the… the anatomical thing. There was a bit of friction, I guess, 'cause I'd never done it before and I was nervous, but nothing terrible, I wouldn't call it pain."

"Mm-hmm," said Elsa, absorbing every word with determination. "I've… never been as physically active as you, sis. I'm probably still perfectly intact."

"Oh, you'll be fine," Rapunzel said dismissively.

"Really?"

"Sure," said Rapunzel. "She'll be using her fingers, probably. If you're gonna break it, that'll… that'll be the way to do it, if you ask me. With grace and dexterity, rather than just… plowing through. I'm just guessing here, of course, I actually have no idea."

"Okay, wow, too much information," said Elsa, wincing.

"Well, hey, you asked," Rapunzel teased.

Anna yawned and stretched, interlacing her hands behind her back and lifting them as high as she could. "Well, I'm beat. Goodnight, all. Another enchanted evening in the ice, Elsa. You should be proud. And your making-out game is strong!"

Anna hugged both of them, one by one, and went her own way.

"Time for bed, I guess," Elsa muttered. "Ugh! I should have asked Merida to join me. I need her so bad… How the hell do people wait until marriage? It's unbearable…"

"I think most people _don't_ , honestly," said Rapunzel.

Elsa gaped at Rapunzel in terror.

"Did you not realize you said that out loud?" Rapunzel said sheepishly. "Sorry, you did. I—"

Elsa gently held up her hand. "It's okay, cousin, I don't need any advice or wisdom. Thank you, though. I appreciate it, believe me when I say that, but… I think I've got this. I'm gonna… I'm gonna head off to the vault."

"Vault?"

"Mm-hmm," said Elsa. "Just, um… going to see what sort of jewelry is kept there. A lot, I hope. I… kind of have an idea. I'll see you in the morning." She took two steps away, then stopped and turned around, facing her. "Rapunzel? I… I love you."

Rapunzel beamed. "And I love you, Elsa. Goodnight, and good luck."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** ONE DAY MOOOOORE… (watch 'em run amok, catch 'em as they fall, never know your luck when it's a free-for-all…)

The isolation is driving me mad, I see.


	24. Day 14, Part 1

**AN:** One more dawn…

One more day…

ONE… DAY… MOOOOOORE!

 **Day 14, Part 1**

Merida and Elsa emerged from the theatre, breathless and starry-eyed.

"That was a good play," said Merida, her eyes sparkling. "What a spin on such an old story…"

"I found it… mildly enjoyable," said Elsa. "Not a masterpiece…"

"No?" said Merida. "Well, you've been to a lot more plays than I have. Perhaps you have a better frame of reference…"

"Perhaps," said Elsa. "It's not as if I can fault you for liking it, it's just… not my cup of tea. Um… Merida?"

"Yes, my darling?"

Elsa hesitated. "This… what if this can be a regular thing for us? Going to the theatre, every Sunday?"

"Every Sunday, you say?" said Merida, intrigued. "Why, that sounds simply delightful. I could be a theatre buff like you!"

Elsa grinned. "And I could be a _real_ buff at last."

Merida slipped her hand into Elsa's as they reached the bridge leading to the castle gates. "So, why didn't this rendition of _Beowulf_ tickle your fancy, babe?"

"I found it kind of… adolescent, I guess," Elsa admitted.

"Mm-hmm. Well, that explains our difference of opinion, being that I am, myself, an adolescent."

Elsa went red. "Oh, no you're not. You're seventeen, that's not… I mean, just look at you…"

"I'd rather look at _you_ , but that's beside the point," said Merida, grinning. "What else?"

"Oh, it was just confusing and weird," Elsa grumbled. "Like, why the Danish setting? It's an old English story, isn't it? Why set it in Denmark?"

"Pfft, who knows?" said Merida, amused. "Plenty of authors love setting stories in foreign countries for absolutely no reason. Ever read the original story of Aladdin? Written in Arabia, most Arabian story ever—set in China. No reason. Absolutely nothing Chinese about it, just lots of very, very Arabian things, but China sounds far away, so it makes the story sound exotic."

"I guess that makes sense," Elsa said, grinning. "Still… I just found the play sophomoric. The hideous monsters, the nudity, the hot women…"

"I thought you liked hot women," Merida teased.

"It was… rather gratuitous," said Elsa, her lip thinning to fight another smile. "Still, though… the naked fight scene, Beowulf just running around naked while fighting Grendel, was that… I mean, is anybody really attracted to that?"

Merida actually stopped walking at that. "Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "Well… I suppose, in theory, straight women would go for that. A naked man running around onstage, sure, straight women would, I would… guess… But, yeah, thinking about it, I can't imagine why."

"Guess it's not our place to judge," Elsa said solemnly.

"Guess not," Merida agreed.

They kept walking. Glancing around, Merida slipped her hand out of Elsa's and covertly reached over to squeeze her bottom. Elsa's reaction was typical: she jumped, then whirled on Merida with a scowl that couldn't entirely hide her smirk. As ever, the response made Merida laugh smugly. Elsa returned the gesture, squeezing hard, and Merida squealed in surprise and delight.

"So, _Beowulf_ …" Elsa said conversationally, her expression now as smug as Merida's.

"That woman who sang the song at the end there, she was pretty good," said Merida.

Elsa nodded. "I've met her. She was in _Wicked_. I went backstage for a meet and greet… she's kind of a bitch."

"Really?" Merida said blankly.

Elsa shrugged. "Well… maybe I was fangirling over her a little too hard. Maybe it was creepy. …Plus, theatre people are pretty good at telling when people are gay. Maybe she could tell that I wanted to have sex with her even though I didn't consciously know it myself, and maybe she found it off-putting. …Okay, she's probably a perfectly pleasant person, and I just caught her in a bad mood, or… _got_ her that way. But… well, shit, she should've been nice to me anyway, I'm the queen."

"Quite the history you've got with this actress," Merida chuckled. "What's her name?"

"Not a clue. Something needlessly complicated."

~0~0~0~

Merida skipped into the guest room, making a beeline for her bow, but skidded to a stop at the sight of something in the corner of her eye. Elinor had packed up a large trunk, set it on the bed, and was in the process of latching it shut.

"Oh," Merida said in surprise. "You're… you're all packed?"

"Yes, I am," said Elinor. "Cut it a bit close, didn't I? I must have been distracted…"

"Cut it… close?" said Merida, not comprehending.

Elinor raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, gosh," Merida said softly. "You're leavin' tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Tomorrow," Elinor confirmed. "In the morning I board the ship back to DunBroch, and you… well…"

"I stay here and court the queen," Merida said in a hollow voice.

Elinor's eyes widened in alarm. "Merida, are you… are you having doubts?"

"Never," Merida said fiercely. "Elsa is… she is mine. And I'm hers. I belong here, with her."

"I know you do, lass."

"All the same… didn't seem real until you packed up that you were leavin' me here," Merida went on sadly. "That tomorrow, when you go, that's… well, that's the first day of the rest of my life, and I'll be living my life with no mother there to tell me what's what, aye?"

"I think you know what's what, darling," Elinor said tenderly. "You're going to be just fine." She reached for Merida's hand, clasping it ever so gently, and tears appeared in her eyes. "Merida, you're an amazing woman, and being there to watch every moment of you reaching this point has been an honor. But now it's time for me to step back and keep my distance. I'm just glad I got an extra year and a half with you before that time came."

"Aw, Mum," said Merida, a lump rising in her throat. "I'm… well… glad to see you're sad to leave me."

"I am, and yet I'm not," said Elinor. "It is as you said, you belong here. I believe that."

Merida nodded. "I do belong here. God in heaven, I truly do!"

She jumped backward, landing flat on her back on the other bed, looking up blissfully.

"I'm in love, Mum," she gushed. "It's the most beautiful feeling… and so new. I'd do anything for her, give up anything, because I just love her ever so much. I haven't been laid in three weeks and I don't even care. Waiting for her just feels so… right."

"Three?" Elinor inquired. "We left DunBroch _four_ weeks ago."

"Oh, one of the crewmen on our ship is secretly a girl," Merida said offhandedly. "I found her out, and she rather enthusiastically offered to buy my silence with a bit of gettin' busy. I don't normally go for the butch type, it was rather nice and unique. Had I known she'd be my last one-night stand ever, I might have given the event a bit more fanfare. Give her some flowers from me, would you, Mum?"

"Er… sure thing," Elinor said dryly. "Say, Merida?"

Merida lifted her head. "Yeah, Mum?"

"I notice you've been wearing your crown all week now."

Merida's hands reflexively shot up to the circlet, adjusting it as always to be sure it didn't look perfect. "What can I say? Looking like a princess, looking the part, has kind of grown on me. The need to keep up with the totally glam babe I'm dating probably has something to do with it."

"Aye, she's very glam," said Elinor, chuckling.

"She makes me happy," said Merida, staring up at the ceiling with a huge grin. "Just with her company. She'll be a fine wife for me."

"And you for her, I don't doubt."

"I can't wait to tell her that I love her. But there's a time and a place for that, and damned if I know when and where that is."

~0~0~0~

Eugene closed the book, a faded blue volume with red lettering giving the title _The Patriot: The First Adventurer_. His eyes were glistening with tears, and he sniffled.

Rapunzel looked up at him from her own book, the two of them sitting on the terrace, reading by the fading light of the setting sun. "Eugene!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"It's the Captain," he said, straining. "He got frozen in the ice and now he's like… in the future… by which I mean the present… and everybody's dead…"

"Aw…" Rapunzel came around the table to hold him comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Eugene. There's just one book to go. I think when they all come together in _The Adventurers_ , it'll be like he has a new family again. I bet you anything."

Eugene nodded wordlessly.

"Punzie!"

Anna and Kristoff had joined them on the terrace, and Anna instantly ran toward Rapunzel, who did the same in kind, the two of them colliding violently but quickly playing it off as a tight embrace.

"Is that _The Patriot_?" Anna whispered. "How was it?"

"It was great," said Rapunzel. "I love how all these books in the same setting are all wildly different genres… that last one was an American Revolutionary War story, of all things."

"That's wild," Anna breathed.

"Tomorrow is a very big, very special day," Rapunzel whispered. "The rising sun will shine over a southbound ship headed back to Corona, but I won't be on it. I'll be here with you. Just you and me. My sweet, sweet little cousin."

Anna giggled. "Little? I'm like three inches taller than you, shrimp."

"But I'm two months older with the proportionate wisdom," Rapunzel shot back pompously.

Anna beamed. "And you're going to share every bit of that two months' wisdom with me."

"Yeah," Rapunzel said sweetly. "I am… totally ready to make that commitment."

"Me too," said Anna. "I love you so much, Punzie."

They stared deeply into each other's eyes, their hands creeping up to cup each other's faces. A minute later, they had leaned forward as one, and their lips met in a tender kiss.

"I love you too," Rapunzel whispered.

"I'll see you in the morning," Anna whispered back.

"It's sure to be a magical adventure."

They parted ways. Anna skipped back to Kristoff and snuggled close to him. "Hey, baby. Wanna hang out a bit before bed?"

"…Did you just kiss Rapunzel?" he said blankly.

"Oh, just a little bit. Like this." She pecked him lightly on the lips. "Why, what are you thinking?"

He chuckled, and began escorting her down the hall, arm-in-arm. "You're totally oblivious, aren't you?"

"As a general rule, yeah, but what are you talking about specifically?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Oh, come on…"

When the two of them disappeared around the corner, Rapunzel returned to Eugene and sat on his lap, running her fingers through his hair.

"…Did I just kiss Anna?" she said blankly, staring into space.

"Yes, yes you did," he said casually.

She blinked repeatedly. "…Maybe you're right," she said uneasily. "Maybe there's a bit of the wrong kind of chemistry between us."

"Well, I didn't wanna say anything…"

Rapunzel snorted.

"I've been watching you two a lot, and… whatever's between you guys, I don't think it's sisterhood."

Rapunzel faltered and stammered a bit, then sat up straight and spoke with sturdy resolve. "Yes it is. We _are_ sisters. And nothing in the world is ever going to change that, ever going to change how I feel about her… or you." She held him tightly. "This is our last night together, isn't it, Eugene? Watching you sail away is going to be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But Anna is part of my life now. I need to stick with her, just for a little while longer."

"I know, Rapunzel," he said, patting her on the back.

"And I know you know," Rapunzel said sweetly. "Enough about her, then. Let's make tonight about you and me."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** I was hesitant to bring up the _Aladdin_ thing; a fun and interesting piece of conversation to be sure, but seeing as _Aladdin_ is a Disney staple just as beloved as any of the films this fic is adapted from… well, hey, _you_ try limiting your cultural references to non-Disney stuff. It can't really be done.

Let's assume that all the traditionally-animated Disney stories, especially the princess ones, are very well-known fictional stories in this universe, while most CGI-animated material is just, well, stuff that hasn't happened yet, but will. An earlier _Sofia_ reference notwithstanding. For the record, the overly-fantastical _Sofia_ universe is not canon to this story, it was just a reference. The character exists in a perfectly ordinary kingdom in, I dunno, Spain or something.

I'm hoping, though rest assured I won't overdo it, that from this point on I can have the characters drop anachronistic pop-culture references with impunity, now that we've established a few things and can assume that any movie or TV show they reference is in fact a play or a book in this universe. Today, they were specifically viewing the 2007 film adaptation of _Beowulf_ , one of my favorite films when I was younger. Recently its breathtaking end credit song slipped into my head somehow, so I went to listen to it and discovered to my surprise that a pre- _Frozen_ Idina Menzel sang it. So that's cool, I love that feeling of retroactive recognition.

I don't know why I've made the effort of coming up with parody names for the Marvel Cinematic Universe book series but using the real name of everything else. Possibly related to an idea I once had for stealthily retelling the MCU in some different form, such as medieval fantasy. The Adventurers is a parody name I've used for the Avengers before, based on my little sister's mispronunciation of "Avengers" when she was very little, and _A Man of Iron_ is derived from a well-known fanfic of that same name; I've never read it, but it's a _Game of Thrones_ fanfic with the premise that, at the beginning of that series, Ned Stark is visited by his cousin Tony Stark, and I found that premise alone amusing enough that I've always wanted to give it a shout-out.


	25. Day 14, Part 2 - end of book one

**AN:** Aaaand once again, finished this one by the skin of my teeth! Final chapter of Book One, done in the nick of time. Bada-boom!

 **Day 14, Part 2**

Anna and Kristoff sat on his bed, and she was gripping him tightly, kissing him as she had never kissed him before.

"Rapunzel's staying," Anna said in a sing-song voice between kisses. "She's staying, and teaching me all sorts of tricks to make our special days next month just absolutely blow your mind."

"I _know_ , Anna," he chuckled. "You keep saying that."

"Sorry, it just still blows _my_ mind!"

Anna shoved Kristoff flat onto his back and clambered atop him, straddling him.

"Rapunzel," she mused, "is like that big spoonful of honey on top of your oatmeal! She shines like the sun, her heart so gold you'd swear she was still blonde. Hehe, I'm being all poetic all of a sudden, the point is, Kristoff, she's bringing you and me closer together, and we owe her a great… big… d—oh wow. Wow. Oooh…"

She had been rolling back and forth on her hips as she sat atop him, and was suddenly caught off-guard by the attendant feeling. "Oh my… I can feel a little hard spot, straight through… actually, that's kind of nice… hang on a moment…"

She pulled her dress off, leaving herself in only her pristine white camisole and panties, and beneath her he followed suit, taking off his coat and pants to end up in a gray undershirt and black shorts. With one less layer separating them, Anna pressed herself against him once more and continued her rocking motion.

"Yeah…" she gasped in excitement. "Just like this! Mmm… it's not the real thing, but it's really… really… nice! Mmm…"

She raised her arms over her head. "Yeah! I'm riding you just like Rapunzel!"

~0~0~0~

"Eugene, honey, what's the matter?"

Rapunzel was in just the position Anna had alluded to, but paused, concerned. Eugene had stopped looking at her, had stopped moving altogether, his head on the pillow staring vacantly at nothing in particular.

"Eugene?" Rapunzel repeated, her hands, which had been grasping his wrists, stroking them gently.

"I don't think I can go on," he muttered. "I think… that's it."

Rapunzel pouted. "Yeah, I… I'd kind of noticed. Oh, honey…"

With effort, she lifted herself away from him and coiled her naked body around his in the most tender, intimate way she could manage.

"Can't even…" he grumbled.

"Eugene, it's fine," she said. "It's perfectly fine. It happens to everyone."

"I know it does, but why here? Why now?"

"Because you're going to miss me," Rapunzel said sweetly, kissing his neck. "It's okay to be sad, Eugene. I promise you it's okay."

~0~0~0~

Merida loitered outside Elsa's bedroom, prepared for one of their usual secretive goodnights. Soon, she received what she had been expecting: the door opened just enough for Elsa to poke her head out.

"Oh, Princess Merida, darling?" she said.

"Yesssss, my queen?"

Elsa paused. "Never mind." She ducked back into the room and shut the door.

Frowning, Merida stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just… I was gonna do something crazy. I… I can't do it."

"Oh, come on," Merida urged. "I love crazy things!"

"It's… okay, you know what, I see where I went wrong," Elsa said. "I was just gonna fling open the door and be standing in the door frame, but you know what, it's better this way. Just… open the door and come in when I say so, okay?"

"'Kay," said Merida. She waited for a few moments, hearing nothing but faint jangling, as though of chains. "You all right in there?"

"Yeah, just gotta get my position just… right…" Elsa muttered. "Okay, you can come in now."

Merida opened the door, to find Elsa lying casually on her side in bed. Apart from the vast assortment of jewelry she was wearing—her crown, several necklaces, multiple bracelets and anklets, and rings on most of her fingers and toes—she was completely naked. As Merida entered, Elsa lowered her head, making the bedroom eyes and kissy lips she had promised. "Join me, won't you?"

Merida grinned broadly and stepped further into the room, immediately starting to pull off her dress. "You're right, that beats the hell out of standing in the door frame."

"Don't leave the door wide open, you maniac."

"Oops." Merida stepped back and closed the door. She kicked off her shoes and yanked off her dress and the slip beneath it, leaving her only in undersized socks and utterly nondescript underwear, both of white linen.

Elsa stopped breathing as Merida came closer; she was nearly flat-chested, and her entire body was heavily freckled, with a toned core and a muscular back, as Elsa saw when Merida sat down on the bed to take off her socks.

"So…" said Merida, tossing her socks aside. "What's the plan?"

"No plan, really," Elsa said casually. "I've just been pondering—with no _real_ idea of the reality of it, mind you—all the possible things women can do to each other in bed… and my imagination's just been running away with it and I need to _know_. Give it to me… teach me _everything_ you've ever done to the girls of DunBroch."

Merida grabbed a bit of twine from Elsa's bedside table and started tying her hair back. "That won't take long… I'm sure I'm not as imaginative as you. You'll have to tell me some of your theories once I've done all my moves." She turned back to face Elsa, soaking in her pale, soft curves.

Taking the hint, Elsa scooted over a bit, giving Merida room to join her on the bed, lifting an arm and leg to really show off every detail of her form. Merida stood up, took a step back, and pulled her panties off, standing over Elsa, her hands shaking, now wearing nothing but her crown.

"Oh my gosh, this is exciting," said Merida in a quavering voice. "I may die of anticipation before I reach you."

"You'd better hurry then, lover," Elsa said softly.

"I don't know if I've concealed it well, but this has been a very frustratin' two weeks. The wonderfullest two weeks of my life, to your credit, but… frustratin'."

"You've concealed it terribly," said Elsa, amused.

"Aye…" said Merida, swallowing hard. "I've been waitin' for this… this is usually the part I'm good at… but now…"

Elsa's seductive face began to falter. "Are you afraid?"

"I suppose I am," said Merida, trembling even more. "This is too important to mess up."

"Sweetheart," Elsa whimpered. "Sweetheart, you can't be nervous, because then I'm gonna get nervous and… and, Merida, honey, you couldn't possibly disappoint me. You know that, don't you?"

Reassured more by the comfortable and familiar skittishness than the words, Merida nodded. "All I needed to know."

Merida clambered into Elsa's bed.

~0~0~0~

Anna and Kristoff lay flat on their backs, breathing heavily.

"Wow," Anna gasped. "I can't believe that just happened. That was so good. Oh, God, my panties are all sweaty…"

"My pants are sticky," Kristoff said flatly.

Anna winced. "Ew. That _does_ sound worse. Sorry, honey."

"'Sokay," he said. "Worth it. So, what was that you were saying just before I, uh, blacked out and everything got all sticky?"

"Oh, just that Rapunzel doesn't wear shoes," said Anna, looking down at her own bare feet fondly. "I think that's so cool and quirky. She's a real artist. Anyway… wow, this was kinda great. We satisfied each other, at no risk, without even having to undress, really…"

"I'm glad you see it that way," he admitted. "Because I felt pretty foolish. Like a dog humping someone's leg…"

Anna pouted at him. "Aw, baby, you don't have to feel like that. We both came, didn't we? Nothing silly or foolish about that."

"You did?" he said, brightening instantly.

"I _totally_ did," she said smugly. "My boyfriend… made me come. I love the sound of that. So much hotter than if I could say that about my husband or fiancé…"

"It's hotter because we're not supposed to do that," Kristoff observed dryly.

"Yeah…"

"I suppose 'fiancé' would split the difference between naughty and romantic," he mused.

"It would," Anna agreed enthusiastically, rolling over so she was partially on top of him. "We'll have to make sure to have lots and _lots_ of sex while we're engaged, because that'll be the perfect balance…"

"I'm up for that," he chuckled. "I'll… keep you posted, I guess, on when I can… do that."

"Take your time," she assured him, stroking his cheek. "I was worried at first, but now… I don't need to see the tip of an engagement ring anytime soon to know where we stand. I'm good with just the tip of… well, you know."

"You're sure?" he said nervously.

She grinned mischievously. "Dude? I just came. I am totally satisfied in body, mind, and spirit. I want for _nothing_ right now. Another relationship milestone is the last thing on my mind. All I'm interested in is going to bed."

Anna hopped out of the bed and retrieved her dress, pulling it over her head quickly.

"Well…" she said thoughtfully. "Actually, first I have to pee. _Then_ bed. Oh, here, don't get up…"

She reached into one of his dresser drawers and pulled out a fresh pair of underpants, tossing it to him.

"Hehe, thanks," he chuckled. "Goodnight, Anna. I love you."

She paused halfway out his door and turned back to him, beaming. "I love you _so much_ , babe."

~0~0~0~

"I'm committed to this, Eugene," Rapunzel whispered. "To staying with Anna. She's clueless, and I love her so freaking much…"

"I know, honey," he said numbly. "You don't have to keep convincing me. I'm sold on it."

She stroked his hair tenderly. "I know you are. I'm sorry. I'm more trying to convince myself, really, because it's gonna be so hard to say goodbye to you."

"You can do it, you're gonna be great."

"You're not supposed to be consoling _me_ ," she chuckled, delivering the lightest possible blow to his shoulder with her fist. "Are you okay, Eugene?"

"I'm trying to be," he said. "I'm… trying. It's just sad that this is the last night. That was… pitiful."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," she said encouragingly, stroking his face. "At least we _had_ sex."

"That's not very reassuring," he grumbled.

"Don't get so down, honey. We'll give it another go in the morning, same as we always do."

"Right. The morning. Yeah… that'll be good."

~0~0~0~

Flat on her back, Elsa breathed slowly and heavily. Her hair, completely unbraided for the first time in living memory, was spread out all over her pillow.

"Uggggnnnhhh…" she moaned, her tongue lolling out. "Merida, that felt sooooo good… I feel like my head exploded. Did it?"

"Nope," Merida said cheerfully. "Still totally intact."

Merida wrapped her body around Elsa's, the covers tight around them both.

Elsa shook her head rapidly and cleared her throat. "Ahem… so… how was I?"

"'Mazing," Merida said simply.

Elsa returned Merida's tight embrace. "Look… Merida… you got what you wanted. I know that from the beginning, your interest was in my… my body. And you've had it. You don't have to stay and keep courting me. You can go home."

Merida chuckled. "Oh, Elsa, babe… so insecure… no. Of course I'm going to keep courting you. And if you'll have me, I'm going to marry you."

Elsa sniffled and sobbed. "Good," she said tearfully, snuggling even closer to Merida and squeezing her tight.

"Tighter," Merida whispered. Elsa obliged, and Merida squeezed her back. "This _is_ my home until you tell me otherwise, my queen. Now, if you've got anything else to say, you'd best make it quick, I think I'm about to doze off."

"All right," said Elsa. She kissed Merida tenderly. "Sleep, my princess."

"I love you," Merida whispered.

Elsa beamed. "You're delirious."

Merida leaned closer to her, wide-eyed. "No… I mean it… I love you."

Elsa's smile froze. "And I… very much look forward to marrying you."

"Mmm," Merida peeped, almost instantly falling asleep with her head on Elsa's chest.

 **END OF BOOK ONE**

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** All right! As of right now, this story is now out of the Tangled/Brave crossover category and in the Disney category. Hopefully there it'll gather a larger concentration of people who'll be there to see Book Two come alive! And no, Book Two will not be a separate story, it'll start as the next chapter of this one right here. Finally, here's, y'know, something. Something I like doing, 'cause it's fun.

 **Book One Cast**

 **Elsa** … Idina Menzel  
 **Anna** … Kristen Bell  
 **Rapunzel** … Mandy Moore  
 **Merida** … Kelly Macdonald  
 **Eugene** … Zachary Levi  
 **Elinor** … Emma Thompson  
 **Kristoff** … Jonathan Groff  
 **Moana** … Auli'i Cravalho  
 **Maui** … Dwayne Johnson  
 **Kai** … Stephen J. Anderson  
 **Corona Guard** … Rob Paulsen  
 **Arendelle Servant** … Jeff Bennett  
 **Arendelle Guard** … Maurice LaMarche  
 **Arendelle Citizen** … Jess Harnell  
 **Tax Collector #1** … Yuri Lowenthal  
 **Tax Collector #2** … Quinton Flynn


	26. Day 15, Part 1

**AN:** And we're back! Book One ran from June 1-25, and it's now October 1.

Okay, it's October 4. Perhaps daily updates won't be quite as feasible for this book as they were for the previous one. But at least today I can post all four segments of Day 15 to catch up, so that's nice and symmetrical.

Word-count trivia: when Book One ended, this story, at some 74,500 words, was already the fourth-wordiest story I've published. And it's only one-sixth of the way done. 74,500 times six is 447,000. I wonder! Could this be a half-a-million-word story? How exciting!

 **PRINCESS PARTY: BOOK TWO**

 **Day 15, Part 1**

As the light of a rosy red sunrise filtered through the castle windows, Anna sang and danced down the hallway toward Elsa's chambers.

She lifted her hand to knock, but the door opened before she made contact, and Elsa emerged, accompanied by Merida, the two of them intertwined and watching each other rather than where they were going.

"Merida?" Anna exclaimed. Her eyes darted between the two of them several times before she suddenly drew in an enormous gasp.

"Wow," Elsa remarked, smirking. "With that much gasping power, you'd think you'd have a stronger singing voice."

Her hands shaking, Anna pointed at Merida accusingly. "How long has she been in there, Elsa?"

"All night," Elsa said smugly. "All. Night. Long."

"Did you…?"

"Yup."

Anna took in another massive intake of breath. Grinning, Elsa held up her hand, as high as she could raise it, and Anna eagerly jumped up to give her a high-five.

"Yes!" Anna whooped. "We are awesome naughty sisters!"

"Yeah, we are," Elsa agreed.

The three of them stared at each other in silence for a moment before breaking out laughing. After a moment, Elsa began hacking and coughing, and the other two went silent in concern. Elsa held up one finger, then reached her thumb and forefinger into her mouth and rooted around for a moment, withdrawing a small, vibrantly red curly hair.

"Eww," she said, flinching at it. "How long has that been in there?"

Anna laughed. "Wow."

Elsa flicked the hair aside and turned to Merida. "So… breakfast, my darling?"

"Oh, you bet, babe," Merida gushed.

The two of them headed off down the hall. Anna lingered behind them, peering at them in confusion. Elsa was wearing a lavender dress with a many-layered petticoat, and seemed to be too big for her, though it left her feet and ankles uncovered. Merida's dress was white and long-sleeved with an elaborately patterned bodice, long enough to drag on the ground.

"Um… guys?" Anna said.

They turned to face her, and Anna swiftly noticed what she hadn't before: the otherwise baggy dress was tight around Elsa's chest, while the white dress pinched around Merida's waist but hung loose around her bust.

"Are… are you wearing each other's dresses?" Anna demanded.

"Is it that obvious?" Elsa said dryly. "Haha, I know, it's all wrong."

"Yeah, this was a terrible idea," Merida agreed. "I'm cold. And I do _not_ have a killer waistline like you, babe. This pinches like hell…"

"Let's, uh… switch back," said Elsa, adjusting the bust as well as she could. "At the earliest opportunity."

"Yes, let's."

"Heyyyyy, wait a minute," said Anna, "did you imply I have a mediocre singing voice?"

"I'm just saying you could use some lessons," Elsa said defensively. "Not a lot, just a little. You know, work on breathing."

~0~0~0~

Halfway to the dining hall, Elsa and Merida ducked into a broom closet.

"All right, I'll be taking back me dress what actually fits," said Merida.

"Mm-hmm, yeah, totally," said Elsa, struggling to squirm her way out of Merida's dress. "Ugh, this is gonna look weird. Do you think anyone's going to notice that we're wearing the same dresses as we did yesterday? And they're wrinkled."

Merida raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you don't care, do you?" Elsa said affectionately.

"Let the people talk, babe," said Merida, winking.

"Yes indeed," said Elsa, smiling. "So… yeah. At least, let's not be caught wearing something so… ill-fitting. Yeah?"

"Yeah," said Merida. "Though, you know what we _could_ do? To go about our day with this same… spirit? Let's wear each other's panties."

Elsa flinched. "Oh. Um, that's, uh…"

Merida tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"I, um…" said Elsa, her voice dropping to below a whisper, "Actually, I'm not actually _wearing_ panties, actually…"

"What?" Merida exclaimed.

"Well, you know," Elsa said, with a squeaky-voiced attempt at sounding breezy, "I knew yesterday what I was gonna try to pull last night, so in the morning I decided to hype myself up for it by not wearing any… all day… and, and since we're wearing yesterday's clothes, I… I didn't have any prepared, so…"

Merida gazed at her in delight, seeming almost entranced. "You are _so_ wonderful, you know that?"

"'Wonderful'?" Elsa repeated, smirking. "Because I'm not wearing panties? I'm beginning to think you're easily impressed, sweetheart."

Merida giggled. "You just take this dress back… and I'll take _that_ dress back… and I'll keep the panties I'm wearin' and you just keep on not wearin' any, you wonderful, beautiful human being."

Elsa snorted. "You are so weird."

"And you're a good lay," Merida countered. She feinted an attempt to bite Elsa's nose.

"Eeee!" Elsa squealed, flinching away. "Oh, Merida, you're such a… this is gonna be great. We're going to do a lot of things… see a lot of places… like we've dreamed."

Merida smiled. "That we will, lass. I don't doubt it."

~0~0~0~

Sitting on the bed in the Arendelle guest room, Eugene pulled on his long traveling coat and slowly ran a hand across his suitcase.

"Well…" he said. "I won't pretend it was the most magical morning we've had…"

Still sitting on the bed, still naked, Rapunzel sat up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "It was mind-blowing, Eugene," she said passionately, nuzzling him. "It was the perfect way to say goodbye."

He reached back and ran his fingers through her hair. "That's good to hear. So… I guess this _is_ goodbye for a while."

"Well, not _right_ now," said Rapunzel, pouting. "But yeah… goodbye is very soon."

"Mm-hmm," he agreed. "Well… you know, I'm strangely kind of okay with that."

She squeezed him tighter. "I'll take 'kind of okay'. Who could ask for more?"

~0~0~0~

At breakfast, Anna beamed at Elsa, boring a hole in the side of her head with her eyes as Elsa tried to focus on her waffles. Eventually Elsa couldn't ignore her anymore and turned to face Anna. "Hi."

"Hi," Anna replied through her huge grin.

"Can I help you, sis?"

"Maybe so," said Anna.

"…'Kay."

"So…" said Anna, "what's it like to be all… womanly? I mean, besides devastated that I beat you to it by a week."

Elsa laughed. "Oh, completely devastated. But I don't really feel any different. Closer to Merida. And happy. But that's about it."

Anna's smile faded. "Huh. That's strange. I've felt like a completely different person ever since Kristoff and I… did stuff. Like I can take on anything. Like I can conquer the world!"

"To each her own, I guess," said Elsa, shrugging.

"You really don't feel different?" Anna pressed. "I feel _so_ different. More free, and confident, and… wiser, I guess."

Now under her breath, fearful of being overheard, Elsa said, "I highly doubt that having sex with your boyfriend one time made you 'wiser'. I mean, for one thing, the expression is getting your brains… you know… _out_."

Anna got up from her place at the table. "Well, that's how I feel, anyway. Like everything in my life is different… a bit happier, a bit… rosier. Yeah. Rosie."

She sauntered away, disappearing out into the halls, belting out, " _Now that I'm a womaaaaan, everything has changed_ …"

On Elsa's other side, Merida leaned in close, conspiratorial. "So…" she said. "On a serious note, how was it? Last night, me and you, how was that?"

Elsa grinned at her. "I've never experienced anything like it. It was so wonderful. All the possibilities were surprising… even scary… but you got me through it so well. I could tell… that you'd done it before. A lot."

"Well, I have," Merida said earnestly. "I'm not ashamed to say it. I like to think it was meant to build up enough skill to make me good in bed for _you_."

"Maybe so," said Elsa. "On that note… how was I?"

"Best I've ever had," Merida said promptly.

"Oh, you can't possibly mean that," Elsa chided.

"But I do," said Merida. To Elsa's surprise, she choked up a bit. "I've never been so happy, Elsa. I've had a lot of sex with a lot of girls, but it's never felt so good, so… so _right_. Never. You think I've ever asked a girl if it was good for her, before just now? I haven't. That's how I know I'm in—"

Elsa abruptly shushed her as some castle staff brought more food to the table, and Elsa's attention was quickly captured by the chocolate chip pancakes.

"…Love," Merida finished lamely, too quietly to be heard.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** First thing coming back, I realized I made a really glaring mistake. The summer solstice, and therefore Anna's birthday, is in _June_ , not July. How the heck did I miss that? I made the seasons all… wonky.

I've already mapped out the story so Anna's birthday fits in where they are in the story in July (with, thankfully, no mention of a solstice), so I can't change her birthday back to June. But I can make this work. Elsa being born on the winter solstice has astrological significance, but… let's think about this. Anna subsequently being born on the summer solstice is interesting and all, but I think a big aspect of Anna and her insecurities is the notion that there's nothing special about her, at least not in the same way as Elsa. She's really _not_ the yin to her sister's yang, she's not inherently special herself, she is, on the surface, an extremely average person. And if she was born a full month too late to hold up a mirror to Elsa, that really fits that. I was really embarrassed when I realized my mistake, who the heck gets the summer solstice wrong, but I really like the way I rationalized the mistake and made it work.

I'll just have to remember to remove all planned references to Elsa's coronation (also a summer solstice event) having fallen on Anna's eighteenth birthday. Yes, that's right, it's never mentioned in the film, but I'm fairly certain the events of _Frozen_ took place on or in very close proximity to Anna's birthday. Friggin' ouch, right?

Wait a minute… Oaken calls the blizzard in _Frozen_ a "howler in July"… maybe that's what threw me off and made me ascribe the wrong date to the solstice… so then Elsa's coronation wasn't on the solstice? Screw it, in this continuity Elsa's coronation was on the summer solstice… which is _not_ Anna's birthday. Okay, there we go, there's your damn _Princess Party_ canon right there, that's juicy stuff.


	27. Day 15, Part 2

**AN:** As I write these chapters in early September, some of my reviewers are finally getting past Day 1, though still no one's passed Day 3… but what matters is I'm getting reviews, and people are talking about what they like, and it's helping me as I write these upcoming chapters. Knowing what people respond to and what they want to see, it's great. Feedback, man. I need it. Now what on earth is taking everybody so long?

 **Day 15, Part 2**

Elsa and Merida walked out of Arendelle Castle, flowing along with the crowd of foreign crewmen and soldiers heading out to the docks.

"So," Merida said in a deceptively conversational tone, her stomach flipping at the subject she was broaching, "last night, in the bedroom, you're sure it was really good, then? You're absolutely sure?"

"Of course it was good, Merida," Elsa chuckled. "Why would you doubt your own…" Quivering with embarrassment for a moment, she lowered her voice. "…Your own legendary lovemaking skills?"

"Ooh," Merida said approvingly. "Well, that's just it, isn't it? No one's ever called it 'lovemaking' before."

They both waited for the other to say something more. Elsa finally broke the silence.

"Sex, then," she said. "I had amazing, wonderful sex with you and, if you want my honest feelings, I'm already getting fidgety wondering when we get to do it again."

"That's what I like to hear," Merida said lovingly. "If you can call that hearing. Why the devil are you whispering?"

"Because there are people everywhere, you… you silly, strange person," Elsa said in exasperation.

Merida grinned. "Just talk to me," she said, flirtatiously hanging off of Elsa's arm. "I hardly think such public affection is any friendlier than the whole kingdom's seen between our dear Anna and Punzie. Whisper to me what I could do to make our bedroom time even better for you, babe."

"I'm sure I have no idea," Elsa said in amusement. "We could do exactly what we did last night without changing a single detail and it would be just as pleasurable, I'm sure…"

"That's not how making love works, babe," Merida said sweetly. "There's always got to be something new, some way to spice it up. Tell me all your fantasies and I'll make them happen, babe."

"Merida, _please_ , not while we're in public. Let's focus on getting to the ships to see your mother off. This is supposed to be a somber goodbye."

"I suppose so," Merida admitted. She draped her arms over Elsa's shoulders. "Maybe I should be dwelling on how this is the last time I'll see my mother in God knows how long, but in my head, I'm occupied by other things… I'm rather in a hurry to get back to the castle, hide away, and talk in-depth some more about all the great sex we've just had."

Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa noticed a passerby doing a double-take at them.

"You're not very good at whispering, babe," Elsa said dryly.

"Eee!" Merida squealed. "You called me babe!"

"Why does that excite you so much? You always call _me_ babe."

"Exactly," said Merida. "That's all I ever call you. It's not special when I say it. But when _you_ say babe… ooh!" She shivered with excitement.

Elsa now had a huge smile on her face as they continued walking. Elsa kept her face forward, but Merida's eyes were trained firmly on Elsa, taking in every detail of her profile.

"I love you," she said, quietly, experimentally. Elsa gave no visible response.

~0~0~0~

"Well, as promised, several craftsmen are boarding your ship," said Elsa. "Road-builders… clock-makers… what we, uh… yeah. Talked about."

She stood awkwardly before Elinor on Arendelle's docks, the two foreign ships bustling with crew members, ready for departure.

"And so… yes…" Elsa mumbled on, "it's been a pleasure doing business with you." She offered Elinor a handshake.

Elinor gaped at Elsa's hand in disbelief. Chuckling and shaking her head, she took Elsa's hand in both of hers, stroking it lovingly.

"Y-your majesty?" Elsa said uneasily.

Elinor pulled Elsa into a tender embrace. "Good health to you, lass," she whispered. "Take care of my daughter. I believe you can. And do take care of yourself as well, won't you? A lot depends on you."

Elsa's hands shook as she returned the hug, barely making contact. "I… yes, ma'am. I'll do my best." They parted, and Elsa looked from Elinor to Merida. "Your majesty… sweetheart… I'll, um… I'll give you a minute."

She walked away, leaving Merida and Elinor alone. Elsa passed Anna, who was stroking Rapunzel's face and hair, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"Anna," said Elsa, snapping her fingers in Anna's face. "Let's give Rapunzel and Eugene a moment alone before they part."

Anna blinked rapidly. "Um… yes, of course. I'll, uh… see you in a minute."

"I'll be back with you soon, twinsie," Rapunzel said softly, turning away to face Eugene.

Elsa led Anna to the very end of the docks. The two of them stood together silently, their eyes lost in the sea, their minds lost in thought.

"So… Anna…" Elsa said softly. "Nothing's set in stone yet, but I am fairly confident that I'm going to marry the princess…"

"Of course you are, you rascal," said Anna with a mischievous smile.

"Yes," said Elsa. "And that being the case, that means a fairly important royal duty falls to you…"

"Right," said Anna. "I have to be the one who has the babies."

Elsa blinked. "Um… well, I would have come up with a much less blunt way to say that, but in essence, yes. The royal bloodline is in your hands now… or wherever."

"Don't you worry, Elsa," Anna said confidently. "Kristoff and I will be all over that. I'll have heirs coming out the wazoo."

"Well, that _is_ where heirs come from," said Eugene, drifting over to them.

Rapunzel snorted with laughter and punched Eugene on the arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "You know, you hit very hard for such a teeny-tiny woman."

"I've been carrying around a lot of weight from my head for most of my life," Rapunzel said serenely.

Eugene turned toward the Corona ship. "Ugh…" he sighed. "How am I going to explain to Pascal that I came home without you? He's just gonna glare at me with those evil froggy eyes."

"Yeah, he's still not a frog, Eugene," said Rapunzel. "And I'm sure you'll find the right thing to say to him."

Merida, overhearing, chuckled. "Heh… and what's Dad gonna think about me not comin' home?"

"I'm sure he'll be delighted," said Elinor. "Er… about _why_ you're not coming home, not just that you're not."

"Right, of course, for a minute there I thought you meant he doesn't like me," Merida chuckled. She pulled her mother into a hug. "When Elsa and I are engaged, Mum, we'll come back and introduce her to Dad. Maybe make a stop in Corona on the way, make a big road trip out of it. A boat trip, if you will."

"That sounds wonderful, Merida."

"Oh, and I never did get to finish my sentence," Merida said excitedly. "It was 'Last time I was that horny, I dumped a barrel of powdered sugar on myself so I could—'"

Elinor covered her ears. "Not listening!" she declared. "Not listening! I so do _not_ need to know this story!" She ran up the plank to the DunBroch ship.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel and Eugene were embracing tenderly, right at the plank of the Corona ship.

"Listen," he muttered into her hair, "don't let me make you doubt that you should be here. I'm cool with this." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. "I love you."

She sniffled.

"Aw, Rapunzel, don't cry," he cooed, brushing her tears away. "You've got to conserve those magical healing tears, or you'll run out."

She laughed through her tiny sobs. "You just made that up, just now. That's not a thing."

"It's a theory," he said earnestly. "We still don't know exactly how you work, sunshine."

"I suppose not," Rapunzel admitted. "Well… so long, babe. You head on home, and I'll… I'll be with you before you know it, I promise."

"All right then. Have a good princess party, m'dear."

He slowly ascended the gangplank. Anna stepped up to Rapunzel and wrapped a comforting arm around her as the ships prepared to set sail.

The two ships departed as one, sails filling with wind and the kingdom's flags flying proudly. Merida watched the DunBroch ship go with steely resolve.

"This is it, then," she said. "I'm on my own." She glanced at Elsa.

"Did you say something, sweetheart?" Elsa whispered.

"Nothing really, your majesty," Merida muttered. "Just… I'm still here. Aren't I? This isn't a dream or anything?"

"No," Elsa assured her. "No, it isn't."

Hesitantly, Elsa placed a hand on the small of Merida's back. Merida shivered and stiffened at the unexpected romantic touch. Encouraged, Elsa briefly slid her hand downward, squeezing Merida's rear, then hastily ran it back up to gently rub her shoulder. Smiling, Merida leaned into her.

Elsa inspected Merida's small circlet. Her gaze passed from there to Rapunzel's elaborate crown with its ostentatious teardrop-shaped diamonds, to her own austere silver tiara, the one she had had made especially for this visit from the foreign royalty.

"You know, Anna," Elsa said thoughtfully as they all watched the ships touch the horizon, "we've got to get you a crown."

"What?" Anna said in surprise. "No, I don't need anything like that…"

"You're my sole heir," said Elsa. "And these two are heirs and they have their own crowns. You should have a crown. I'll have one commissioned. I insist."

Anna chuckled and adjusted her grip on Rapunzel, whom she was still embracing. "Well, okay."

"What'll you take?" Elsa pressed. "Tiara? Circlet? Diadem? Maybe a big velvety coronet?"

She grinned. "Definitely no big velvety coronet. A tiara, I think, sounds good."

"Gold?"

"I… no! Definitely not gold. Yours is silver, mine shouldn't outrank it. Mine should be bronze or copper or… brass, maybe? I like brass."

"Brass it is," Elsa said smoothly. "What kind of jewels do you want?"

"Oh, I don't need jewels…"

"Sure you do."

Anna sighed, amused. "Then maybe just make it a circlet like Merida's got? I don't want anything too ostentatious."

"As you wish. What kind of jewel?"

"Um… red? A ruby?"

"How about we make it a tiara with lots of really tiny rubies?" said Elsa.

"If you must insist on spoiling me, Elsa," said Anna, shaking her head.

"I must," Elsa said tenderly. She looked from Anna to Rapunzel, then to Merida. "You know… I think… it's so good to have you both here, I think… yes, yes, that's a great idea. Excuse me a moment…"

She ran down the docks back toward the castle, trailed by a sprinkling of powdery snow.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Oh boy, more ANs to do. Um… okay, well, it's now October 4, the day I'm posting these, and Pixargirl is up to Chapter 17, that's day 9, so… people getting there. Um… screw it, this AN is filled. At least I don't have to come up with meaningful epigraphs for every chapter, am I right?


	28. Day 15, Part 3

**AN:** So, in the two months since the end of Book One, I had a visit with my fiancée. She lives in Sweden and is working on securing her financial and educational future, as am I, and in the nearly four years we've been together we've had three month-long visits with each other, the first one in Sweden and the second two in the US. As stable and secure as any relationship can possibly be. Love you, babe!

I also took my exam to become a licensed massage therapist… did _not_ pass that exam. I've been studying to retake it.

Which brings me around to the point of this AN: _Hamilton_. It's an amazing soundtrack, and a great way to measure out 2 hours and 22 minutes. Every day, I study the multitude of study topics on the massage school website for the duration of the _Hamilton_ soundtrack, with breaks every 20 minutes to do some push-ups and squats. So… that's my daily physical and mental self-maintenance.

So, a long way to go to plug _Hamilton_ , but seriously, listen to it sometime. Sure, it'd be nice if we could all get tickets, but the soundtrack works great as a concept album. Like most concept albums, you need to do some background research to really understand what the story's about, but it's truly fantastic, a life-changer if you're into theatre, music, or any form of storytelling. Which I am.

 **Day 15, Part 3**

"Och, there you are, babe," said Merida, finding Elsa hastily scribbling notes as she paced an empty hallway. "What on earth was that about? You just ditched us out in the harbor. There are worse places to be ditched, mind you, nice view and all, but my goodness…"

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Elsa said absently, still writing at a high speed. "I just had a really great idea I had to… had to work with… if we're gonna get it done by lunchtime…"

"Get what done by lunchtime?" Merida said cautiously.

"I, um… I want to throw a little bit of a soirée," said Elsa. "Here at the castle. You, me, Anna, Rapunzel. And we bring everyone in the kingdom in on it. A celebration of… you know… us."

"Us?" Merida said blankly. She gasped eagerly. "Are you going to come out? Are we going public?"

"No!" Elsa said hastily. "No… no, it's… a party to celebrate you as our new long-term guests, mine and Anna's. You and Rapunzel, equally. Our two new… friends."

Merida sighed and leaned against a wall. "That's… deeply disappointing, you know, my darling."

Elsa winced. "I-I'm sorry, sweetie. I know that we can't hide this forever, I do know that. And we won't. I don't want to. The time will come."

After a brief silence, during which Elsa shot Merida an uncomfortable, crooked smile, Merida nodded in acceptance.

"So, this… soirée…" Elsa went on, encouraged. "I'm just compiling a list of things we can put together to, uh, to have a party today. Short notice and all. But last-minute stuff like this is… it's fun! It's good for morale. The people like it when I throw out stuff like this. And it'll run all day, so surely everyone who'd want to come by… can… as long as we keep people informed, that'll take some coordination, logistics… but yeah, I've crunched the numbers and I think we can do this."

Merida nodded along to that, not quite paying attention. "I wasn't delirious, you know," she said.

"I'm sorry?"

"When I said I love you," said Merida. "I do. I love you."

Elsa bowed her head. "I'm honored. I meant what I said, I'm sure we'll have a grand marriage."

"…Right," Merida said coldly. "Do go on, then. How are we gonna throw together this little last-minute shindig?"

"Soirée," Elsa corrected. "And it's gonna take some hard work and coordination, but putting that on my own shoulders instead of relying on castle staff is a… well, it's important to me, I always make sure to…"

"And it's just a little thing to welcome Punzie and myself to the kingdom, then?" Merida interrupted. "Even though… we've already done that. You honestly have no major announcements to make?"

"Merida!" Elsa exclaimed. "At some point we'll announce that we're courting, of course we will, but that's a long-term… long-term… thing. Okay? Short-term, we're—"

"Why won't you say you love me?!" Merida snapped.

Elsa recoiled and stared at her, taken aback. Merida glared at her, waiting for an answer.

"Look, Merida… sweetheart, I _like_ you very much," Elsa said shakily, "but we've only known each other for two weeks. There's so much we haven't—"

"We had sex last night," Merida said pointedly. "Your idea."

"That's—" Elsa squeaked, glancing around frantically for observers.

"I live in your house now!" Merida went on. "Also your idea! How many more bloody steps do we need to take, Elsa?"

"I'm just… not one hundred percent sure that this courtship will go where we want it to," Elsa said wearily. "I'm trying to play it safe."

"Well, I love you," Merida said aggressively. "And if you can't commit to that, fine, play it safe, keep our relationship a secret, leave the avenues open for if we break up—just know that I'm not doing any of that. I _know_ we can go the distance, so I'm going to sing it from the rooftops that I love you, that I _know_ we will be each other's brides."

"Merida…" Elsa stammered, almost laughing in desperation. "Two weeks! Two weeks ago we didn't even know each other! Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?"

"So now I'm crazy?"

"You're not… well, yes! Okay? You're being crazy!"

Merida turned away, her arms crossed. "Well, anybody would be, if their sweetheart was more concerned with making sure a breakup can go smoothly than our damn—promised—marriage!" She turned to glower at Elsa, then turned her back on her again.

"Why?!" Elsa demanded angrily. "Why are you so obsessed with marrying me? Do you know how suspicious it makes you sound? It's so easy to read into that that all you want is for your kingdom to have my kingdom's resources, or, or, or to rule on high as queen! Or something!"

Merida turned back to face Elsa, tears gushing from her eyes. "Oh… and I'm the one who's crazy."

"M-Merida?" Elsa said in alarm, her expression softening.

"You're out of your damn mind if that's what you think," Merida sobbed. "Do you hear me? Out of your goddamn mind. My kingdom is perfectly happy the way it is, lass. We're built strong out there in Scotland. And queen? I was already gonna be a queen someday. I don't want it. It's a lot of hard work, and the slightest mistake can collapse the whole country for generations to come, it's no bloody fun. You're a queen already, you should know that, you should know how absurd it would be for me to aspire to it."

"Then why?" Elsa whispered, suppressing hysterics.

"I want to marry you," Merida said, "because the moment I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful creature on this earth, and I wanted to look at you forever and ever. And I just really want it on paper, promised in front of God and everybody, that that's what I'll get. Nothing more than that." Shivering now, she stepped backward slowly and sat down.

Blushing, Elsa straightened her dress and hair and sat down beside Merida, rubbing her back softly. "Sweetie… I think you're having a bad case of love at first sight, darling. It just doesn't work that way."

"You've done nothing to make me think twice about wanting that," Merida said with vicious conviction. "Not one little thing." She smiled at Elsa through her tears.

"I'm flattered," said Elsa. Her lip started quivering. "I don't mean to hurt you, Merida. I'm just trying to be realistic."

"Who says falling in love and getting a happy marriage right away isn't realistic?" Merida demanded. "…Oh, babe. You've been burned before, haven't you?"

"Not by a lover," Elsa whispered. "Not me personally, at least. But I saw it happen to Anna… and besides that, I've lost a lot of things that were important to me. I've gotten some of them back… like my self-respect, and my relationship with Anna… but some of those things are gone forever. My parents, my childhood, any kind of life free of a crushing weight on my spirit. I still feel it's best to play it safe."

"Oh, darling." Merida leaned in toward Elsa and kissed her passionately. "Won't you take a chance on me?" she begged pitifully. "My ride just left, you know. And there'd be a lot of sailing involved to bring me back there if… if something happened. I'm risking a lot to be yours. Can't I ask the same of you?"

Elsa sobbed. "Of course you can. I'm so sorry. It was selfish of me to strand you here in a foreign country without even giving you a guarantee that…"

She couldn't finish, for Merida had begun nibbling on her lower lip.

"Mmm!" Elsa squealed. "Merida…"

Merida reluctantly stopped, and Elsa softly cupped her face in her hands.

"I don't know if this counts," Elsa whispered, "because I'm totally only saying it to get into your panties, but I love you very much, Princess Merida."

Merida chuckled. "Well, I expect it'll only take a bit of playing around in bed to get you saying it and meaning it, so… by all means. I was holdin' back last night… bein' gentle."

"Were you really?" Elsa said breathlessly. "Well… color me intrigued."

They kissed, lips and tongues grappling violently before they stood up as one and rushed to Elsa's bedroom.

~0~0~0~

Under Elsa's blankets, Merida leaned her head against Elsa's chest as the two of them interlaced their fingers. Elsa hummed a little tune, perfectly content.

"So…" Merida said delicately. "Our first argument as a couple. That's big."

Elsa blinked. "We've argued before."

"Yeah, but not while we were a couple."

"We've argued about whether or not we should _be_ a couple."

"So you'd rather be pedantic than have this big emotional moment with me, is that what's going on here?" Merida said through thinned lips.

"All right, sorry," Elsa chuckled, rolling over to kiss her on the cheek. "Yes… first argument as a couple. Not the most pleasant relationship milestone to cross, but an important one." She shrugged, gently rubbing her body against Merida's. "Well, it ended in sex, that's a good sign. _Great_ sex. Mid-morning sex…"

Merida grinned. "Fabulous, eh? Er… was the fight resolved, though? We should make sure it's resolved…"

"Well… it was about if we love each other," said Elsa, running her fingers through Merida's hair. "And… yes. Yes, I do. I love you, Merida. I'm sorry I had a hard time saying it."

Merida nodded and stroked Elsa's face. "And… I'm sorry I was overzealous again. I shouldn't try to force you to be ready for things. I've got to learn to take it slow. Give me time."

"That sounds pretty resolved to me," said Elsa. The two of them kissed passionately.

"I've heard it told that in any argument, the first one to yell loses," Merida said knowingly. "'Cause once someone starts yellin', their words just don't matter anymore."

"Hmm."

"Also, the first one to cry wins," Merida added.

"You were the first to yell _and_ the first to cry," Elsa pointed out.

Merida blinked. "Well, obviously, it's not a perfect system."

"Nobody won the argument, Merida," Elsa said tenderly. "It was just… resolved."

"Yeah." Merida disconnected from Elsa's embrace, leaning back and stretching her arms. "We did it. We resolved our first argument, easy-peasy. We are an _awesome_ couple."

Elsa laughed. "Yeah," she said, staring lustfully at Merida's bare breasts, being emphasized by the stretch. She reached out and touched one. "Mm, I like your body. It's squishy. Like one big giant pillow."

"You've got _two_ big giant pillows," Merida replied, scooting backward to rest her head on one of Elsa's breasts.

"Meep," Elsa grumbled. "That was scary, wasn't it, getting into an argument… I thought we were going to break up."

"Och, that really _would_ have been scary," said Merida, pouting. "Splittin' up on day one of livin' together, and me with my only way to move back out having just disappeared over the horizon. Not a pleasant picture. But I believe in us, lass. I don't think we're ever going to split, and if we do, we'll win each other back. Just the sort of thing that you or I would strive for, I think. The kind of people we are."

"Yeah," Elsa said quietly. "Maybe so."

Merida reached backward and tapped Elsa's cheek. "So, babe, weren't you planning on throwing some sort of soirée today?"

"Yes, that's right," said Elsa, slowly sitting up. "Mmmmm, I've never felt this relaxed. We should do this _every_ morning…"

"Yes, we should," Merida agreed.

Elsa stared at her. "I wasn't serious."

"I was."

"But… wouldn't we get tired or sore? Or something?"

"Not to my knowledge," Merida said casually. "I can't imagine getting tired of having sex with you. Can you?"

Elsa blushed. "No… I honestly can't. I'd do it again right now and all day long if we didn't have things to… to do. Well, we'll see if that works in the long run. Let's get our clothes back on, sweetheart, we have a party to prepare."

~0~0~0~

"Let it be known throughout the kingdom," Elsa announced to a row of guards. "Princess Rapunzel and Princess Merida will be staying in Arendelle for the foreseeable future, for they and Anna and I have become very close. Their stay shall be a time of mutual education and tutoring between the four of us, and a celebration of our friendship. And today, to celebrate the beginning of this wonderful time, there's going to be a soirée at the castle. Open door, as is always the case here in Arendelle. A celebration of the princesses and the knowledge and friendship being shared between Arendelle, Corona, and DunBroch, for the mutual enrichment of us all."

~0~0~0~

Only a few hours later, the courtyard was populated by guests from all over Arendelle, enjoying music, festive decorations, and dozens of buffet tables piled with food, quickly prepared but of the highest quality.

Elsa mingled among the guests, never offering more than a greeting, drifting around the party until she spotted Merida again, who was actively chatting with a few citizens.

"Elsa!" Merida called out jovially. "I was just telling these delightful people about why I chose to stay in Arendelle."

"Were you?" Elsa said carefully.

Merida leaned against Elsa. "Yup. I made a wonderful friend."

Elsa beamed. "Aw. Thanks, ba—Merida."

"And they were telling _me_ what a fun queen you are," Merida added.

"Fun? Really?" said Elsa.

"Oh, aye, they're counting the ways," said Merida, nodding her head. "Quite apart from throwing a fun little last-minute soirée, they're telling me about how you keep your door open for anyone in need, how you let the children skate in the courtyard in the middle of summer… how you dance through the streets and let the people hear you sing…"

Elsa blushed. "I guess I _am_ fun."

"It was a delight to hear," said Merida.

"I'm glad you appreciated it," Elsa said tenderly, leaning close to Merida and stroking her hair. Only moments later did she realize that the small group of citizens were still standing by them.

"Erm…" she said awkwardly, "thank you so much for coming. If you'll excuse me, I need a word with my… my friend here."

Elsa escorted Merida away toward a buffet table. "Well, I'm bad at this," she said cheerfully. "Now there's at least one small group of people who totally know that we're lovers… oh hey, caviar."

As they reached the buffet table, Anna and Rapunzel came up beside them. The two of them were clad more formally, Rapunzel in an elegant, high-collared dress of glossy burgundy, and Anna in a dappled summer-green gown, her hair neatly bound.

"Oh, Anna, there you are," said Elsa. "Nice of you two to finally show up. Welcome to our soirée!"

"Hey, Els," Anna chirped. "You know, you keep calling this a soirée, but… it's lunchtime. A soirée is more of an evening affair. Isn't it?"

"Well, stick around for a couple of hours, and then… then it'll be a soirée," Elsa grumbled. Having piled some caviar on a cracker, she took a bite and gazed thoughtfully into the distance as she chewed. "Wow. Caviar tastes exactly like…" She glanced at Merida, and instantly blushed a furious red.

Merida cackled and took some caviar for herself, enthusiastically digging in. "Mm-hmm! It's delicious, but it's not the same, somehow," she said, winking.

Anna frowned. "What are… what are they talking about?" she asked Rapunzel. Rapunzel leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Ohhhhh!" Anna gasped, understanding. "I see. Wow. Hmm." She hesitated. "What, uh… what does Eugene think of caviar?"

"He's a mature enough man to know that it's in his best interest," Rapunzel said, grinning. "And healthy for his relationship… yeah, he's man enough to take it in stride. No complaints."

"Is it…?" Anna said uncertainly.

"Only… the _best_ sensation… ever," Rapunzel said emphatically. She picked up a cracker, spread some caviar on it, and took a bite, only to glare at the caviar in disgust. "Ugh."

"No good?" Anna inquired.

"Selflessness plays a huge part in what makes it so great," Rapunzel asserted. "Definitely an act of love…"

Anna nodded, mulling it over in silence, eventually calling across the room: "Hey, Kristoff, you gotta try this caviar!" She raced across the courtyard, bringing him a plateful.

Rapunzel lost sight of her, but she returned in only a few seconds. "There," Anna said with deep satisfaction. "That should prepare him for tonight."

"Tonight?" Rapunzel said, concerned. "But you're not…"

"We're not gonna go all the way," Anna said hastily. "We're just gonna… try something. Stuff. See if he can… learn to like caviar. I should probably prepare for it too, I suppose. Return the, uh, the favor. Let's see, do we have… anything that can work, anything like… aha! Bratwurst!"

Together, they went up to another buffet table, where a large plate was piled high with thick, sizzling bratwurst sausages. Anna's hand hovered over the plate, carefully seeking to select one. "Let's see… yeah, this one looks about right." She held one aloft.

"That one, huh?" said Rapunzel, quietly impressed. "Lucky you…"

The two of them stared at it in fascination for a moment.

"Um… hey."

They jumped. Elsa was standing behind them, carrying a plate. "You two done with the bratwurst? Can I get one?"

"Oh… of course. Sorry, sis."

They stepped aside, and Elsa picked out a bratwurst of her own. Anna and Rapunzel watched raptly as Elsa carefully inspected the sausage and, finally, took a bite.

"WAUGH!" Anna and Rapunzel screamed.

Elsa jumped in terror, nearly dropping it. "What? WHAT?"

"Nothing," Anna said hastily. "Nothing, sorry, we were just thinking about something else. Just… something else."

Elsa gave them an odd look as she walked off.

"So…" said Anna. "Whatcha think?"

"Hey, this is _your_ party," said Rapunzel. "What do _you_ think?"

"Right."

Anna slowly slid the bratwurst into her mouth, getting almost the whole thing in before presenting herself for Rapunzel with her arms spread. "Ah?"

"Well, there's a lot more to it than fitting the whole thing in your mouth, but that's pretty good," said Rapunzel. "Don't worry if it doesn't go well at first. It takes practice. Just make sure you communicate with each other."

Anna pulled the bratwurst out of her mouth, coughing a bit. "Not a problem," she said. Picking up a tiny plate, she placed the bratwurst upon it and stared at it uneasily. "Yeah, I can't eat this now."

"No, those sympathy pains were harsh," Rapunzel agreed, wincing.

~0~0~0~

A few hours later, Rapunzel and Merida met at the bar that had been set up near the back of the courtyard. Both reached for shot glasses, downing them at exactly the same moment. Noticing this, they grinned at each other, and simultaneously took a second shot, then a third.

"You don't want to get into this with me, lass," Merida said, smirking. "I'm Scottish."

"You're kidding, right?" Rapunzel giggled. "So you're Scottish. I'm sure that's considered a land of prestigious drinkers by, well, someone, but let me explain something to you, my friend: I'm German. My people are synonymous with beer."

"Pfft, right," Merida scoffed. "Beer. You get that nobody actually _likes_ beer, right? People only drink it because everyone else is drinking it, and then they build up a tolerance. You wanna talk about people synonymous with drink? Ever heard of Scotch? Care to hazard a guess as to why they call it that?"

Rapunzel cracked her neck. "Bring it on."

"Punzie!"

Anna appeared out of nowhere and flung her arms around Rapunzel's neck.

"Hi," Anna said manically.

"Hellooooo," Rapunzel said sweetly, reaching back to stroke Anna's hair. "Where'd you and Kristoff disappear to? Not content to wait until 'tonight', I take it?"

"Nope," Anna admitted. "I just had to do it. Caviar, bratwurst, it was just too much to handle, I had to try it out and I had to do it right now."

"And how did that go?" Rapunzel said in amusement.

"I am in heaven," Anna said simply. "And it's all thanks to you. Oh, God, my head is still spinning… well, that was no help at all toward my promise that I'd start working on heirs, but it was _so awesome_. I don't know much about, like, energy, and how it's harnessed, but I'm pretty sure you could fuel an entire city for several weeks on the orgasm I just had, it was like a massive explosion of gunpowder going off inside my body, could have blasted me straight out into space."

"Wow," Rapunzel remarked, laughing.

"Wow," Anna agreed.

"Well, hot damn," said Merida, winking. "Good for you, lass. Always nice to see a young lady being treated the way she deserves. Your man can deliver, then?"

"Oh, _God_ yes, my man can deliver," Anna said passionately.

Kristoff appeared then, coming up behind them, and interlaced his hand with Anna's. "Hey, baby. Lost track of you for a second there."

"Oh, I know!" said Anna. "I'm sorry, I'm just buzzing all over the place lately. I had to tell everybody how you just blew my mind… did I blow your mind, my man?"

"Of course you did," he said. "Didn't I establish that?"

"Hrmmmm," Anna said thoughtfully. "Was it selfish of me to do you first? Was that like a giving the good news before the bad news sort of thing? Do you want me to do it again?"

"No, no, I'm good," he said hastily. "I'm… wiped out. You're good."

"Yes," Anna breathed. "I am _so_ good. Ahem, so, if you don't mind… buzz off so we can talk about you. And bring Elsa over here so she can be in on it. And bring me a drink to clear my throat."

Blinking at her, Kristoff reached over to the bar, which was well within arm's length, and passed her a small shot.

"Oh," Anna said sheepishly. "Drinks are right here. Just Elsa, then, sweetie."

"I'll send her over," Kristoff promised. "See you later, baby."

Anna stood on tiptoe to kiss him, then immediately winced. "Ooh. Feels kind of weird to kiss you…"

"Why?" he said, concerned.

"Because I know where our mouths have just been, honey."

"Ah," said Kristoff. "Yes… you better drink that."

"Uh-huh." Anna gulped down her shot. "So, uh…"

"I'm out," he said. "I'll get out of your hair. Elsa will be right over."

"Okie dokie. I love you!"

"Love you too, baby." Kristoff walked off, grinning broadly.

"Aw, he looks happy," said Rapunzel.

"Of course he is," said Merida, looking Anna over. "Look at what he gets! Haha, and look at you, lass, you look like you've got a coat hanger stuck in your mouth. You've done some right foolin' around the past couple days, haven't you?"

"I would hardly call it fooling around," Anna said pompously. "I'm very responsible. This is two days in a row now I've gotten all the sexual release I could ask for—no risks, no consequences. Because I don't fool around when it comes to… fooling around, I guess."

Merida offered up her fist, and Anna bumped it with her own. "And you've got a taste for the male form, eh? Er, so to speak."

"Taste is the right word," said Anna, nodding. "Yeah, I'm… completely hooked on his body, can't get enough. We've made love once, and we fooled around last night, and tried something new today, and it's just… it completely blows my mind that when we're married, all those things are gonna be regular occurrences. And I'm not gonna lie, I am _so_ there."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** This is definitely the kind of story you can't possibly write without some form of life experience. I haven't exactly been around the block, but there are a lot of things I've lifted from my life, such as having caviar in very close proximity to… and I've already said too much.


	29. Day 15, Part 4

**AN:** I'm currently living with my grandpa in a small town in Illinois, a destination I've been chasing for several years ever since I fell in with the local theatre scene. Good to be back! I've got auditions tonight, they're doing _She Loves Me_ (which had a revival last year starring Eugene himself, Zachary Levi). I certainly hope I can get back in.

There's no Internet at my grandpa's house, so when I need to do something that requires a computer, I have to go down to the local college and hang around in the library. Now that I'm really living there on a permanent basis, I'm gonna get my hands on a wi-fi thingy sooner or later, but for the time being, well, there's my explanation for why my updates might not be as flawlessly daily as they were the first time around. Well, what do I mean "might be"? I'm already three days behind schedule.

Anyway, today I'm uploading everything up to Day 20 so I can update by phone every day. Things got hectic and I haven't actually finished writing Book Two like I had planned to do by October, so, fingers crossed that I can catch up.

Oh boy, is it that time already? Yeah, it's time for _this_ subplot. Here's hoping it goes over okay, because it's gonna be around for a long time. It's my attempt at something of an anime-style plot, the kind that treats something as relatable even though it's really not.

I have to retroactively admit there's not really a whole lot going on in Book Two, not enough to fill a book, anyway, but if we can get through it then Book Three onward is gonna be so awesome and epic.

 **Day 15, Part 4**

Late that night, Rapunzel gently opened the door to Anna's bedroom, shutting herself in as quickly as possible, and crept toward the bed.

"Um… Anna?" she whispered.

"Rapunzel?" Anna exclaimed, sitting bolt upright. "Oh my gosh, you scared me. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Rapunzel took a moment to answer, rubbing her arms uncomfortably. "I think I made a mistake when I said Eugene should go home. I'm not used to sleeping alone. I don't… I don't think I can do it. Do you mind if I…?"

"Oh," Anna gasped. "Oh, of course. There's always room for you here." She scooted to the side, and patted the other half of her bed. "What's mine is yours, cousin. Just another of our fun little sleepovers."

Rapunzel chuckled and sat on the bed. "Yup, another sleepover is right. Hehe, you're all about making me feel like a little kid, aren't you?"

"Nah, I really do act like this pretty much all the time."

"Ah. Well, even better. Goodnight, Anna."

"Night."

Rapunzel pulled off her nightgown in the pitch darkness, setting it atop Anna's dresser before gently slipping under the covers.

"Whee!" Anna chirped.

She fidgeted a bit, eventually reaching out to touch Rapunzel, running her hand up and down her arm before pulling her into a hug, which she quickly broke, leaping back in alarm.

"Eep!" Anna exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! Are… are you naked?"

"Oops," Rapunzel said casually. "Yes, I am, sorry. Force of habit. Eugene and I sleep naked. I'll just, uh, slip my nightdress back on…"

"No, it's okay," said Anna. "If that's what makes you comfortable."

"Er… well, actually, I'm not comfortable being naked if you're not, that's just awkward…"

"Say no more." Anna quickly squirmed out of her own nightdress, tossing it aside before settling deeply into the sheets. "Ahhhh… ooh, this is actually kind of nice."

"It is, I really like it," Rapunzel said cheerfully. "Well… goodnight, cousin. Let's get some sleep, then."

"Okay," said Anna. "I, um… I kind of roll around a little bit… but I do mostly favor one side of the bed, so you should be fine."

"All right."

Anna rolled over, first to one side, then the others, rolling closer to Rapunzel, reaching out to her once again. Rapunzel turned her head, and was surprised to find Anna's face close enough to her own for their lips to meet.

~0~0~0~

The two of them lay flat on their backs in Anna's bed, staring at the dark ceiling they couldn't see in absolute horror.

"Okay… so, that just happened," Anna squeaked.

"Yeah," Rapunzel agreed shakily.

They were silent.

"We were half-asleep," said Anna. "Doesn't count."

"No, no, of course it doesn't."

They were silent again.

"We're not… _first_ cousins, are we?" Anna asked.

"What?" Rapunzel said blankly. "No… no, we are. Your mother and my mother were sisters. We're first cousins."

"Shoot," Anna said darkly. "That's bad."

"It doesn't especially matter how closely related we are, Anna."

"Well, sure it does," Anna said. "Because if we were _second_ cousins, that's not so much incest as, you know, playing the field."

"No, I get what you're saying, it just doesn't matter," said Rapunzel. "We are… taken women. My husband just left this morning, and you and your boyfriend, well…"

"Well, it's… it's not _that_ bad," Anna said desperately. "We _just_ made out, that's all. That's not so… that's it."

" _And_ felt each other up," Rapunzel said pointedly.

"Okay, and felt each other up a _little_ bit," Anna admitted. "But that's just… you know… that's just boobs, there's nothing really inherently sexual about boobs, when you think about it…"

"There's nothing inherently sexual about necks, either," said Rapunzel, starting to sound deranged, "but you seemed to be pretty into it while you were sucking the hell out of mine."

"Oh, God," Anna said in terror. "Did I give you a hickey? Ohhhh God, everyone's gonna see that and they'll find out and we'll be ostracized from polite society forever…"

"No one is going to find out about this!" Rapunzel said firmly. "It never happened, okay? Tomorrow, we're gonna wake up, and we'll just be everybody's favorite fun cousins again. Okay?"

"Okay," Anna agreed. "Well… I'm glad you don't think this has ruined our friendship, at any rate. I still… I still need to learn how to go all the way with Kristoff, and I don't think I could do it without your help."

Rapunzel gently took Anna's hand. "It's my pleasure. Don't worry about this, okay? We didn't mean for it to happen. It _didn't_ happen. It's over. Let's just move on now."

Anna sighed in relief. "Of course. Yes, let's… do that. You're the best cousin ever."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** I'll… let you form your own opinions about the subject matter here before I discuss it. It's just something I wanted to experiment with a bit, a subject that's actually going to last through multiple future story arcs, so… I hope it doesn't go over horribly, I guess.

Day 15 is one of only two days in Book Two to be divided into more than one chapter. Time flies by in this episode of their lives much more quickly than the previous two weeks…


	30. Day 16

**AN:** I got nothin'.

 **Day 16**

The following morning, on a high balcony, the four of them ate alone, on stacks upon stacks of golden pancakes.

"Ah, this was a fantastic idea, Elsa," Anna said dreamily. "Some alone time with a great view. So much more intimate than the dining hall. This is the start of something amazing, isn't it?"

The others beamed at her, and they ate in silence for a moment, watching the sun make its climb into the sky.

"Merida, did you finish reading _The Adventurers_?" Rapunzel asked.

"You know, I did!" Merida said, grinning. "My God, greatest book ever written. How very fulfilling! Does it… does it continue? The end made it sound like it would."

"It does, yes," said Rapunzel. "There's another six-book series, they call it 'phase two' of that universe. Start with _A Man of Iron 3_ , then there's a _Thor_ sequel, a _Patriot_ sequel, and… something new, I haven't looked into it."

"Hey, Anna," Elsa said suddenly. "I didn't notice at first, but do you know what this pancake breakfast reminds me of?"

"Um…" Anna said thoughtfully, staring down at the pancake and wracking her brain for what it called to mind. "Your girlfriend's chest?"

"Hey!" Elsa snapped.

Merida whipped her head back, laughing hysterically.

"I retract my 'hey'," Elsa muttered. "Apparently that joke is Merida-approved."

"It's funny because it's true," Merida said smugly, drumming her hands on her meager breasts. "I _am_ flat like a pancake."

"But no, sorry, what does this remind you of?" Anna said seriously.

"A long time ago…" Elsa began slowly. "Sometimes, when they didn't want castle staff all over us… they'd bring us out here onto the balcony, just us. Just you, me, Mom, and Dad. You were too little at the time to really appreciate the solitude… you wondered where all our servants went… but for me, it was nice."

"Yeah, it was," Anna said quietly. "And now we're doing it again." She turned her head to beam at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel grinned back. "Does that make me your mom? Or your dad?"

"Oh, whoever you want to be," Anna giggled, holding Rapunzel's hand.

"I love you, Anna."

"I love you toooo," Anna sang. "…So, you've really gotten past that weird thing from last night?"

Rapunzel squeezed her hand gently. "Completely, twinsie."

"What weird thing?" Merida inquired.

"There was a weird thing," Anna said quickly.

Elsa and Merida waited.

"And do you intend to leave us hanging?" said Elsa.

"'Fraid so," said Anna.

Elsa frowned at them. "You two are wearing each other's dresses."

"Yes, yes we are," Anna said mechanically. "Just because it's cute, not for the same reason you and Merida wore each other's dresses if that's what you were thinking."

"Of… course that's not what I was thinking," said Elsa, puzzled. "That would be… odd."

"Yes, yes it would," Anna agreed.

Elsa's eyes scanned everyone else at the table. "We have a family again," she said softly. The only initial reply was an impossibly high-pitched squeal of delight from Anna.

"Well then," said Merida. "What do you reckon we ought to do, family? Fun things to do in Arendelle?"

"Hrmm," Elsa said thoughtfully. "Well, we'll still go the theatre every Sunday, of course. Anna, you get out more than I do, what's to see in the city?"

"Oooh, let's see," said Anna eagerly. "Well, there's the university. They have art displays there. And they also have their own theatrical program, you know, if you feel like smaller… things. And there's some parks, but probably nothing any better than what we've got here in the castle gardens. Ooh, and the dollhouse museum!"

"The what?" Rapunzel exclaimed. "Dollhouse museum? Are you serious? I wanna see that!"

"All right, good suggestions for fun stuff," Elsa mused. "But we can't forget our royal business as well. What can we accomplish as a group here? Appearances?"

"Well, there's the orphanage," said Anna. "Always a good choice…"

"Always," Rapunzel agreed. "I'll devote whole days sometimes to visiting the orphans in Corona, playing with them, lighting up their lives a bit. You too, huh?"

"Whenever I can," said Anna. "They love me there. Little kids love princesses, it's crazy."

"Don't they, though?" said Rapunzel. "It's weird. Kings and queens, little kids couldn't spare a thought for, but they'll trip over themselves to see a prince or princess."

"Maybe they just think kings and queens are old and boring," Anna said flippantly. "I don't think anybody thinks that way about young and hot queens like Elsa. They always ask about her. Elsa, you should come by sometime."

Elsa shrugged. "If you think I'd be good for their morale… sure, I'll spend some time at the orphanage with you. What do you think, Merida?"

"Hmm?" Merida said in alarm. "Oh… sorry, I stopped listening, I don't really want to participate in this conversation, I'd rather just stare at you."

And so she did. Elsa blushed a deeper crimson than usual. "I love you."

"I love you too," Merida cooed.

Anna slammed the palms of her hands on the table and her eyes widened. "What?! The L-bomb's been dropped? When did this happen? Why was I not informed?"

Elsa gaped. "Do I have to inform you of everyth—"

"Yes."

Elsa sighed in disbelief, smirking. "Merida told me right after we slept together. I was stupid and didn't say it back until yesterday."

Anna walked around the table and gave Elsa a tight hug. "My sweet sister," she said. "You're so lucky… aw, you guys went at it again this morning, didn't you?"

Elsa choked a bit on her pancake. "Erm, what makes you say that?"

"Caviar on your breath," said Anna, smiling apologetically.

"Yes, of course," said Elsa. " _Caviar_. I'll never be able to enjoy caviar again without feeling dirty, will I? Or even the _word_ caviar. That used to be a cool world."

"Hey, I've heard much worse euphemisms for—" Merida began.

"Does she sleep in your bed?" Anna interrupted, batting her eyes at Elsa.

"Officially, no," Elsa said, grinning shyly. "Officially, she's saying in the same room she was before, but… you know… all it takes is simple observation, I think anyone with eyeballs will eventually realize, yeah…"

Merida giggled and kissed Elsa on the cheek. Elsa hummed in response and twirled a lock of Merida's hair around her finger.

"So… yeah," she continued. "We… 'went at it', did you call it? We made love this morning, yes. Our third time. It just keeps getting better, somehow."

"Three times?" Anna said eagerly. "Ooh, you're all caught up with me and Kristoff! I mean, only the first time was all the way, but… the other two certainly weren't less than the way you guys do things…"

Merida embraced Elsa. "Three amazing bouts with the best I ever had," she said. "You know, I actually climaxed that last time."

Elsa stared at her in alarm. "You told me you climaxed the first two times."

"I lied," Merida said simply. "It was a judgment call. You were doing so well, getting so close, weren't really doing anything _wrong_ , so I figured it would be better for your confidence if you thought you were doing it just right… which you were."

"Fair enough," Elsa muttered. "Definitely climaxed this morning, though?"

"Definitely."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind… but don't ever lie to me again, Merida. Please?"

"No, of course not," Merida said tenderly.

"Well…" said Elsa, standing up and smoothing out her dress. "Business to attend to. I'll be seeing you dear ladies later."

She bent down to give Merida a deep, passionate kiss. "I love you," she whispered, gazing into Merida's eyes. "Promise you won't disappear?"

"Never, darling," Merida vowed. "Never ever."

~0~0~0~

"Punzie! Punzie, look at this!"

Rapunzel and Merida were lounging in a castle corridor. Anna had gone around a corner and was racing toward them.

Rapunzel eyed the small toy Anna held. "Whatcha got there? Aw, it's a little chariot."

"It's not just a chariot!" Anna said proudly. "Check this out." She began to fiddle with the toy vehicle, pulling it open. "A mechanical soldier from another world, here undercover to protect humanity from—oh no, his head!"

The tiny head dropped from her hands and bounced away across the floor, tumbling down a staircase.

"Aw, man," said Anna, pouting. "I'll never find it now. Now how will my robot protect humanity? Maybe the guy at the toy store was right and this isn't for girls… maybe I should have just gotten the ponies."

"What's this?" Merida said sharply. "Some bloke said transforming robots are for boys and ponies are for girls? What did you tell him?"

"I may have punched him," Anna said sheepishly. "It's a blur."

"Good on ya, lass," said Merida. "I remember the first time I asked the castle blacksmith to make me a proper helmet and armor, so I could fight like everyone else. He looked at me like I was stupid. I'm not stupid. I roughed him up. When I was done with him, he knew that I could and _would_ use what I asked for."

"Well, I guess that's cooler than what I was standing up for," Anna muttered. "All I wanted to do was play with a transforming robot."

"Hey, sometimes a small stand is all you need," Rapunzel said gently, stroking her arm. "The way I see it, if you stand for nothing, what'll you fall for?"

"Thanks, cousin," Anna said brightly.

"You know, we've said the word 'cousin' way too many times," Rapunzel said thoughtfully. "It's lost all meaning, it's just a funny word now."

"Mkay, I can't take it anymore, I'm gonna go find Kristoff and play around with him again," Anna said suddenly, turning around to leave. "I think this time we'll use our hands… always somethin' new, don'tcha know…"

Moments later, she was gone.

"What the hey?" Rapunzel said blankly

"Haha!" Merida cackled. "Guess she really needed to scratch the itch."

"Oh, gosh, is she gonna go all the way with him?" Rapunzel said in horror.

"Judging by what she just said, no," said Merida. "Does she look like an idiot to you? She knows the plan."

Rapunzel continued to blink uncertainly. "She's wearing my dress," she realized. "I'm gonna get it back ripped, aren't I?"

"Rips can be fixed," said Merida. "I'd worry more about the stains."

"Oh, God!"

Merida guffawed.

"Going off to… use her hands…" Rapunzel grumbled. "What am I even here for?"

"You're here to help me keep my cover," Merida replied playfully. "Oh, hey babe! How's business?"

Elsa was joining them, rubbing her head and looking through some rolls of parchment. "Oh, it's fine," she mumbled. "I got a schedule of upcoming kingdom events… trying to find the right place to squeeze in a time to publicly tell the kingdom we're a couple…"

"You hear that, Punzie?" said Merida. "Soon we won't be needing you at all."

"Nope," Rapunzel agreed.

"Can I call you Punzie, by the way, or is that just for Anna?"

"No, you can too, it's fine."

~0~0~0~

"So… are you sure about this?" said Rapunzel as she entered Anna's room again later that night.

"I'm sure," said Anna. "If you're sure there won't be a repeat of last night."

Rapunzel glared. "Of course _I'm_ sure about that. Are you?"

"Yes," Anna snipped.

"All right then," said Rapunzel. "We'll do it. We will be sleeping together."

They stared at each other.

"In the purely literal sense, of course!" Rapunzel said wildly.

"Of course," Anna said hastily.

"…Until I return to Corona."

"Yeah."

Rapunzel flung her suitcase onto Anna's bed and opened it. "Guess I'm… unpacking here, then."

"You sure are," said Anna. "Here, let me help you out… you have so much interesting stuff! What is…"

" _That_ can stay in my luggage," said Rapunzel, tucking the object away. "I won't be needing it here."

Anna gawked at her. "Was that a set of handcuffs?"

"Yes," said Rapunzel. "They're Eugene's. Er, his and mine, that is. Sometimes he has to handcuff me."

"Has to?"

"Yes, has to," said Rapunzel, grinning. "Sometimes I'm… naughty."

Anna giggled. "Can't argue with that."

"You're one to talk," Rapunzel said playfully. "I'm the one with a hickey."

"Yeah, well, I'm the one with fingernail marks all over my boob. See?"

Anna pulled at the collar of her dress, displaying most of one breast to Rapunzel, who inspected her skin.

"Nope," she stated plainly. "Don't see. Not at all."

Anna looked for herself. "Well, maybe they're not there, but they should be. You're a wild animal."

"So I've heard," said Rapunzel. After a pause, she sighed. "Jeez, that was weird, though, wasn't it? Last night?"

"Yeah, it was," Anna said with discomfort. "It was… it was nice, though."

"Yyyeah, but that's not really…"

"No, you're right, of course. Not good, no matter how nice it may have been."

"Mm-hmm."

"Mmmmmmm-hmm."

~0~0~0~

Once again, the two of them lay flat on their back, staring up at the dark ceiling again, straining to catch their breath.

"…Okay, so we did it again," Anna said uneasily, trying to play it off calmly.

"Yup," Rapunzel mumbled. "So we did."

"…If it's any comfort, you're an amazing kisser," Anna offered.

"Don't, Anna. Just don't," Rapunzel said tensely. She sighed. "I mean… thank you, so are you. But we really shouldn't know that about each other firsthand, Anna."

"Yeah, I know," Anna muttered. "Gah, still, that was nice…"

" _So_ nice."

"But wrong."

" _So_ wrong."

Anna took Rapunzel's hand. "We just need to work on some self-control, that's all. It'll all be okay in the end, cousin."

"I sure hope you're right," said Rapunzel. "I don't understand this at all. I'm not sure I want to."

"Let's just… not talk about it," said Anna. "Maybe then it'll go away."

"Maybe so."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Note to self: Check whether Anna and Elsa actually would call their parents "Mom and Dad". I have this vague inkling that they used "Mama and Papa", but I can't actually remember properly.

See, most Disney movies have the characters using modern speech patterns, but the extent of _how_ modern varies. Ariel calls her dad "Daddy", but Belle calls hers "Papa", and Jasmine goes with "Father". Of course, this note is just so I can remind myself to _find out_ what Anna and Elsa call their parents because I'm curious, I'm not actually going to change it if I find out that they'd call their dad "Papa", because that wouldn't fit in with the way I use language in this story.

The fact that I actually don't remember that detail would seem to be a sign that I haven't seen _Frozen_ enough times to be writing a fanfic about it. I've seen _Tangled_ and _Brave_ dozens of times, but by the time _Frozen_ came out on DVD, I was just no longer in the habit of watching movies over and over again.


	31. Day 17

**AN:** All right, I'm just gonna kind of ramble about my life in these now, barring having anything to say about the story. The reason for my destination here in Illinois, is that I want to get back in with the theatre group, and that they can help me put together my own little Team StarKid.

StarKid are a Chicago-based theatre troupe who write and perform original stage musicals, most of them extremely irreverent (and yet reverent) parodies of well-known properties, and film them and post them to YouTube. Disney fans reading this would probably be most interested in _Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier_ , a pastiche of _Wicked_ which retells _Aladdin_ with Jafar as the hero, probably their strongest work overall. They've also spoofed _Harry Potter_ , _Batman_ , _Star Wars_ , and _The Oregon Trail_ , as well as produced three plays that are entirely their own intellectual property, all on their YouTube channel.

Inspired by StarKid, I've written a _Dungeons & Dragons_ musical which I hope to produce by the end of next year. By the end of _this_ year, I hope to at least have some gear together to start up a little YouTube channel for gaming, talking about books, and whatever else is on my mind, before putting up the big StarKid-esque musicals, and whatever other big project ideas I or somebody else may have for the channel.

 **Day 17**

Anna, Rapunzel, and Merida lounged around in the portrait gallery, scattered around the room, whose floor was littered with small white boxes. Each of them had a plate loaded up with rice and chicken slathered in different-colored sauces, picking at them with chopsticks.

Elsa joined up with them. "Hello again, all," she said. "What have I missed?"

"We sent out for Chinese food," said Rapunzel, gesturing to all the boxes. "Just been lounging around."

"Fantastic," said Elsa, picking up a box. "Ugh, you would not believe the bozos I have to deal with on a daily basis. Money-grubbing, elitist twerps who think all poor people would be better off if they just worked harder, but who are they to talk about hard work when they would bleed if a strong gust of wind hit them…"

Elsa did a double-take at Anna, who was lounging in a large, cushy armchair, her back against one of its arms and her legs draped over the other, reading a novel with a cover of black and gold.

"Anna," Elsa said in surprise, "that is a really impressive cleavage you're rocking there. Where did that come from?"

Anna glanced down. "Oh, I'm just… slouching. I probably shouldn't, it's probably bad for my back." She straightened and looked down at her breasts again. "Yeah, see? Nothing."

"Oh, they're not nothing," Elsa chided. "They're nice."

"I get that a lot," Anna grumbled.

"Then it might be time to consider the possibility that it's true, sweetie," said Elsa, gently tapping Anna's face before sitting beside Merida.

"Hello, babe," Merida said sweetly, leering hungrily at Elsa's legs, encased in glimmering fishnet stockings, sticking out of Elsa's latest icy creation, a strapless and glittery black dress.

"Hey," Elsa said back, taking her by the hand. "That's a cute little scarf you've got there."

Merida beamed, fingering the little red scarf around her neck, popping against her plain, woven purple dress. "Thanks. Trying out some new styles."

Rapunzel nodded to Anna and her book. "Marvel?" she asked.

"Yeah," Anna said faintly. "Hrmm… I loved _The Adventurers_ , but… I don't see where these stories are going now! I just don't understand who that big purple guy at the end was supposed to be."

"Hmm," said Rapunzel. "Yeah… well, they're not really original, those stories. Even though they were written just in the last ten years, most of the characters have some seventy-eight years of mythology behind them. I mean, they're very accessible and setting up a completely new world, but sometimes you do need some familiarity with the original legends to pick up on some of those details."

"It just doesn't make sense that they're not coming back for each other's stories," Anna mumbled. "And that villain twist in _Man of Iron 3_ was just… lame."

"Oh, with the Clementine? Yeah, from what I understand about the legends, I don't think _anybody_ would like that twist…"

"Ugh." Anna closed her book. "Well, the second _Legend of Thor_ book bored me to tears. You'd hope a character as sexy as Thor would have more interesting stories, but just… dull. Not even Loki could save it." She stood up, tossing the book back into her chair.

"Where are you going?" Elsa asked.

"I'm gonna find Kristoff," she said. "Wasn't much of a story, but Thor and Loki being themselves _did_ turn me on quite a bit. And Kristoff is rather Thor-like… big and blond and… God, I'd like to open the door for him, if you know what I mean, but… playing the way we do, the nice and selfless little trade we've got going, is mm-mm-good! I'm gonna go get some of that." She pranced off into the castle halls.

Merida chuckled. "Horny little thing, isn't she?"

Elsa nodded grimly. "She must have been suppressing all that for some time. Years, practically. With how long she's known Kristoff and had feelings for him… what a relief this must be. I only knew you for like a week and a half before I started dying of the need for your body."

Merida grinned and gave Elsa an understated high-five. "Anna's a clever lass, isn't she? She's not much for delaying gratification, it's true, but she's being responsible about it. If I liked men, I don't think I'd have the presence of mind to avoid certain out-of-wedlock consequences the way she has."

Elsa gestured to Rapunzel. "Our cousin taught her well, it seems. Also… maybe she learned a bit from us."

"Oh?"

Elsa reached out and took Merida's hand. "Is there anything more beautiful than the way women make love to one another? Anna may like men, but perhaps she takes her cues from… you know. Us."

Merida leaned back smugly. "You can learn a lot from lesbians, it's true. Of course, we're probably biased."

"Probably," Elsa agreed. "Rapunzel? Your thoughts?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "I haven't had sex in three days and it's driving me crazy."

"Ooh," said Elsa, wincing and immediately withdrawing from contact with Merida. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," said Rapunzel, standing up. "I knew what I was getting into… or I thought I did." She eyed the book Anna had left behind. "Hmm, I think I'm gonna find out if Anna was right about Thor and Loki. I'll be in Anna's bedroom, please don't come knocking if you know what's good for you."

~0~0~0~

Some hours later, Anna and Rapunzel coiled around each other, naked beneath Anna's blankets, kissing and groping with passion and tenderness, without variation and seemingly without end—until, that is, they ran out of breath. They parted, Anna's tongue sliding out of Rapunzel's mouth, and inhaled deeply in unison, before staring at each other in the darkness.

"Well…" Anna said bitterly. "Three nights in a row."

"Yup," Rapunzel agreed. They resumed their customary positions, flat on their backs and staying upward, careful not to touch each other.

"You think other girls ever have problems like this?" Anna said wistfully.

"I honestly don't know if anything like this ever happened in the history of ever."

"Lucky us."

"…Yup."

Anna let out a quiet, muted whine. "You're just so kissable. Not like Kristoff… he's kinda prickly. I just can't help it. One thing's for sure, men would never have this problem."

"Sometimes I think men never have any problems at all," Rapunzel said exhaustedly. "I mean, look at Kristoff's life right now. Sometimes you just turn up out of nowhere, pull him into a closet, and go down on him. Sure, you mostly do it to butter him up so he'll go down on _you_ , but still, it's a pretty cushy deal."

"That does seem to be the new norm as of the delegations leaving," Anna said thoughtfully. "Except then I come in here and make out with _you_. Probably not the kind of thing Kristoff expects from his girlfriend… not exactly living the dream…"

"Yeah, but he doesn't know," said Rapunzel. "He's living the dream as far as _he_ knows."

"Mm, he does kinda light up whenever he sees me now," Anna said, grinning. "I mean, he always has, but even more so now that he knows to expect… all the stuff. Mmmmm, and he's _reeeally_ good at going down on me. I expected him to be really clumsy and random at first, but he wasn't. Very efficient." She sighed contentedly. "I mean… you were right, it's the best sensation ever, it'd be a really hard thing to screw up, but like… I can't imagine him being any better at it than he is. But I wouldn't know, would I? Maybe he _can_ get better. I can't even imagine. That would be… amazing. Ooh, maybe Merida can give him some tips, she knows _all_ about that, hehehe…"

Rapunzel nodded. "Well, that's good. You're lucky. And how about you? You know, treating him in return?"

"Who, me?" Anna said smugly. "Pfft, forget about it. I am _awesome_ at that. Hee hee! It's so much fun being naughty. Oh, Punzie, the day when I can really, _really_ sleep with him again just can't happen soon enough."

"I'm excited to see it," Rapunzel said dully. "You were so happy after the first time…"

Anna frowned and scooted in close to Rapunzel. "Punzie… I'm sorry. I hope you don't think that I feel less guilty about this than you do. I _do_ feel bad. I'm wracked with 'what the hell is wrong with me' feelings after we do this…"

"Thanks, Anna," said Rapunzel. "And I hope you don't think that I enjoy it less than you do. Kissing you is… is pleasant in the moment, even if we feel miserable afterward."

Anna let out a puff of air. "Is this life now? We just uncontrollably make out with each other at the end of every day?"

"Well, I'm at a loss as to how to prevent it," said Rapunzel, shrugging broadly. "So, yeah, maybe."

"We could stop sleeping in the same bed, I suppose."

"Oh, don't even say that!" Rapunzel said with a mock shiver. "I can't. I need… to be near you."

Anna pulled Rapunzel close, cuddling her. "I need that too."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** So, as you see, I've got a lot of creative energy going, a lot of projects that I'm firing up… but then there's _Romance and the Fate of Equestria_ , the massive _My Little Pony_ fanfic I've been working on for the past five years… but it's really been stagnating for two or three of those years. I promised I'd go back to updating it weekly in September… but I didn't update it _once_ in September. I guess that's life. You don't always have time for everything that's important to you. …I'm sad now.


	32. Day 18

**AN:** …Well, so much for talking about my life, I'm pretty sure that was everything worth mentioning. I'm not very complicated.

 **Day 18**

"Oooh… oooooooh… ooh… AAAAANNNNHHH!"

Elsa threw her head backward, cracking it against the straw-covered floor as her hands clawed and clutched at the straw beneath her. Panting, she slowly lifted her head, seeing Merida's head rising from between her legs.

"Merida, that was amazing," Elsa gasped, gulping for air. "You're amazing…"

Elsa reached helplessly for Merida's exposed breasts, which were hanging out of her unlaced dress. Oblivious, Merida withdrew out of her reach, standing up and wiping off her fingers with a handkerchief.

Merida scanned the stables, meeting the eye of one of the horses, who nickered disapprovingly.

"You're just jealous," Merida retorted, flourishing her handkerchief and pointedly wiping her mouth with it.

"Unnh," Elsa moaned, still sprawled out on the floor of the stall they were hiding in. "I love you so much."

Merida beamed. "I love you too, your majesty. Need some help standing up?"

"Please," said Elsa, holding out a limp hand. Merida grasped it and pulled her up. Unlike Merida, Elsa was wearing nothing but sparkling white stockings held up by garters. Frilly panties were bunched up around her ankle.

"Mmm," Elsa said sweetly, kissing Merida's nose. "Thanks for pulling me out of that meeting, babe."

"My pleasure."

"Mostly _my_ pleasure, I think," said Elsa. They kissed passionately, breathing raggedly and licking. "I… suppose I have to go back into the meeting now. Mm, sweetheart, I love you, but you do _not_ do wonders for my work ethic."

"I suppose not," said Merida. "Don't worry about it. When we're married, the work will get done."

"Yeah?" Elsa said hopefully. "Right… another queen to share some of the workload."

"Exactly." They kissed again, inhaling deeply and running their hands up each other's bodies.

"Those advisors would be so ticked off if they knew what you pulled me out for," Elsa chuckled. They broke out laughing together.

"I _love_ that," Merida gushed. "Love it, love it, love it. I thought all our sneaking around to find places to snog had grown stale, that we'd found all the places, but nope, all we gotta do is visit all those same places again and fully, utterly shag each other. It's glorious."

Elsa grabbed Merida's head and yanked it forward. Her teeth scraped against Merida's, their tongues desperately grasping at each other, warm and glistening bodies rubbing together rhythmically.

"All right," said Elsa, her lips still lightly touching Merida's. "…All right, I think today's secret sex-capade is done. Where did you put my dress?"

"It's around here somewhere," Merida whispered back. "And panties still around your ankle, babe."

"Yeah, I know." Elsa looked down at her own body and straightened in surprise. "What the…"

Standing out starkly against her pale skin, a ring of deep red teeth marks surrounded one of Elsa's nipples.

"When… when did you bite me there?" Elsa demanded wildly.

"When both my hands were occupied," Merida said mischievously.

"Oh, yeah," Elsa recalled. "Now that was… mmm… stimulating. No wonder I didn't… well, gosh, you'd think it would still… you'd think I'd still notice you _biting_ me! That is wild." She gazed at the teeth marks in fascination. "Gosh, that's impressive, babe. I feel like I should show somebody, you know? To brag to Anna and Rapunzel about how wild and passionate you are? Ah, but they don't want to see my boobs…"

"Have you never looked in a mirror?" Merida demanded. "Or, I dunno, looked down? I think _everyone_ wants to see your boobs." She reached out and squeezed them.

"Oh, you," Elsa said affectionately. "Just stop it."

She placed a finger on Merida's lips. Instantly, Merida's lips enveloped her fingertip and she sucked on it, drawing the entire finger into her mouth.

"Ew," Elsa teased. "Anyway… thanks for the break. When I get back to the meeting, I'll spend the whole time brainstorming ways to… you know…" She flicked her tongue out. "Pay you back."

"Lovely," said Merida. "You do that."

"It's kind of what I think about all day anyway," Elsa said cheerfully. "What you deserve, and ways I can… give it to you."

"I can't hardly wait," said Merida.

Elsa kissed Merida gently on the lips, then bent her knees to place another soft kiss on her nipple. A shiver ran through Merida's entire body as Elsa further dropped to pull her underwear up.

"Oh, there it is," Elsa said suddenly as she stood up, spotting her dress crumbled up on the ground all the way on the other side of the stable. "Wow! Good arm, babe."

"Thanks, babe."

As Elsa exited the stall and crossed the floor toward the dress, Merida began absently lacing up her own dress, her eyes ever on Elsa's figure.

"Babe…" Merida said quietly. "When do we stop keeping this a secret?"

Elsa inhaled and exhaled slowly. "When I'm ready," she said wistfully. "I just need to work up the courage. It's building, day by day. Just stay close to me, don't let me lose this feeling that I'm never gonna lose you, that you're mine forever, and I promise, soon we'll be the, uh, the talk of the whole kingdom. …In a good way, I hope."

"Yeah," said Merida.

"Well… royal duty looms," Elsa said brightly, holding up her dress.

"Yeah…" Merida said again, looking over her. "Oh my God, you're bleeding!"

"What?" Elsa said, startled.

"The-the bite mark on your boob, it's bleeding," Merida cried out, pointing shakily.

"Oh my God!"

"I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay! Let's… yeah. Okay, doctor, I need to see the doctor. _Then_ royal duty."

"Yeah, I'll—I'll take you there."

~0~0~0~

Rapunzel flipped through a book by lamplight. The covers on Anna's bed covered her only up to the waist, and she left her nakedness unconcealed. Two tiny pigtails sat on either side of her short hair.

Anna skipped out of the closet and jumped into the bed, sprawling across it on her belly, also naked, wearing a vertical ponytail atop her head.

"Hey," Anna chirped. "Sooo, Kristoff's off making deliveries again. It's just gonna be you and me for a few days."

"Okie dokie," said Rapunzel, eyeing Anna's cheerful face. "What's up?"

"Do you wanna make out again?"

Rapunzel giggled. "No, I _don't_. Shame on you for even suggesting it."

"Come on, Rapunzel," Anna said sweetly, crawling toward her. "Cousins should be friends. And friends experiment with each other!"

"Anna," Rapunzel chided, still amused, "you can wait for him for a couple of days."

"You made out with me when Eugene had only been gone for a couple of hours," Anna accused. "This is the fourth night you've been without him now. You must be dying for some smoochy-smoochies…"

"Well, I've learned how to deal with it," Rapunzel snipped. "I've… I've taken up yoga."

"Oh," Anna said blankly. "Oh, that sounds nice! That sounds like something we can do together. Probably a better way to blow off steam than hitting on you. Sorry about that…"

Rapunzel smiled at her. "Love you, Anna."

"Love you too," said Anna, flipping over onto her back to rest her head on her pillow.

Rapunzel's eyes darted once over Anna's naked body before going back to her book. "Well, that went better than I thought it would. I really thought we'd end up making out again."

"Oh, come on, can't we?" Anna begged. "Pleeeease?"

"No, Anna," Rapunzel laughed. "We really shouldn't."

"Okay, okay," Anna submitted. "So… yoga tomorrow?"

"You bet."

~0~0~0~

"Goddamn it, Anna."

"Don't damn me!" said Anna, wounded. "How is this all my fault?"

"I'm not damning you," Rapunzel said exhaustedly. "I'm damning… _it_. I did it too. We did it again!"

"Yeah," Anna said sadly. "I don't even get it, really."

"Neither do I."

Anna reached an arm around Rapunzel's shoulder, slowly sliding one hand down Rapunzel's chest.

"Stop it," Rapunzel hissed.

Anna withdrew.

Rapunzel sighed. "Okay, don't stop it."

Anna grinned and placed her hand atop Rapunzel's breast, squeezing it lightly.

"Ugh, this is weird," Rapunzel sighed.

"It is," Anna whimpered. "I… I _don't_ want to have sex with you. Not even a little bit. But when you're here in my bed in all your glory, I just want to kiss you and touch you and keep you close to me."

"Yeah, that's how I feel too," said Rapunzel. "I love you so much, Anna. You have no idea."

"Twinsies forever?" Anna said sweetly.

"Absolutely. Forever." Rapunzel turned her head toward Anna, and reached out with a single finger to stroke her neck, tracing out her collarbone, then her sternum.

"I _really_ don't get this, Anna," Rapunzel whispered. "I mean, quite apart from being married, I'm straight."

"Me too. Absolutely straight. I know I am."

"I totally admit it if I wasn't."

"Of course," said Anna. "Why wouldn't you? So would I. Elsa and Merida are gay and they're awesome, we love them."

"But we're… not," Rapunzel said simply.

"Nope," Anna agreed. "Even if I was bi or something, you'd think I'd have the sense not to mack on my cousin."

"Right? _Right?_ " Rapunzel exclaimed. "So this is weird."

"Yup." Anna scooted inward, bringing her naked body in contact with Rapunzel's. "I will say this, though, and I may have said this before, if I _was_ into ladies, my ideal woman would look just like… well, maybe not _just_ like you, perhaps a mix of features from you and Elsa, in the face and body…"

Rapunzel smirked at her. "That's kind of narcissistic, isn't it? _You_ look like a mix of me and Elsa."

"If that was true, I'd have bigger boobs."

"Oh, come on, not that again. How many people have to tell you that you have great boobs for you to believe it?"

"I'm fine with them," Anna insisted. "They're just not the breasts I'd have picked out for myself, know what I mean?"

Rapunzel gazed up at the dark ceiling. "Anyway, I think my ideal woman would be more like Merida. Quirky… sturdy… why are we even talking about this?"

"I don't know," Anna said softly. "And I don't know why we feel the need to… to do _this_."

"Neither do I."

Anna gently raised her other hand and slowly ran her fingers across Rapunzel's cheek. Rapunzel sniffled emotionally.

"Your skin is much softer than Kristoff's," Anna said tenderly.

"Thank you," Rapunzel said. After a pause, she said, "You ought to take better care of your skin. Eugene's is a tad softer than yours."

"Hey!"

"What? I'm not gonna return the compliment insincerely, Anna. I'm just saying."

"Mm-hmm," said Anna. "Well, I guess we'll be working on my skin, then."

"Who's we? I can't do _everything_ for you, Anna."

"Sure you can," Anna teased, lifting her hand off of Rapunzel's breast and poking it with a single finger. "But no, you're right, you shouldn't. I'll figure it out."

"Sounds good," said Rapunzel. "I'll be here. And don't poke my boob."

"Sorry." Anna leaned, resting her head against Rapunzel's shoulder. "I just totally love how on the same wavelength we are. You know, we both have the irresistible urge to make out with each other and then we both feel terrible afterward, we're just totally in sync all the time."

"Yeah, that's just _great_ ," Rapunzel grumbled.

Anna offered up her pinkie. "Twinsies?"

"I pity any actual twins who've seen this much of each other, but yeah, sure." Rapunzel coiled her own pinkie around Anna's. "I'm sorry I'm so short-tempered about this. It's an… exasperating situation."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** I gotta go hit high notes at this callback… but this cold water I've been drinking is _not_ doing wonders for my voice… I think I'll have to split from the library earlier than I'd intended so I can get some hot tea.

See, now I'm just talking about what's happening at this very moment. That's what you get when you're not caught up enough that I can just respond to you about your thoughts on the previous chapter.

I could wait, I suppose, but that's not my style. I thrive on output. Once it's out, I don't have to think about it anymore. That's the theory, anyway. What's it been, nine years? I haven't exactly run out of ideas.


	33. Day 19

**AN:** My interest in massage therapy stemmed from my mother, who's been a massage therapist all my life. I've felt I could do it ever since my visit to Sweden, when my fiancée asked me for a romantic massage and I gave her a proper one, finding and removing all of her knots even though I had never done anything of the sort before. Ever since massage school started, however, I have never once felt that I'm capable or competent. People told me I was, _constantly_ , but I just never felt like I knew what I was doing, like I knew _anything_ about massage. I'd have quit long ago if I had the slightest idea of something else I was capable of… but I don't. Massage is my absolute last resort for survival until the day I can make money doing creative stuff.

Anyway, the purpose of bringing it up was to talk about my mom, who really loves _Tangled_ and _Brave_. She talked a lot to me about the themes of motherhood and womanhood that exist in both films, which really aided in my own enjoyment of them; when they were new, she was always getting choked up by them, talking about them to everyone she knew. _Frozen_ didn't really do it for her, though. I remember when she took my little sisters to see it without me, I compensated by listening to the soundtrack, and it made me cry three times. Then my mom called me on the phone and heard me crying. I explained why, and she felt sure there must have been something else going on to make me emotional, and I'm like, no, it's just the _Frozen_ soundtrack. And she says, "Huh… I don't remember it ever getting emotional."

Really? Not even when she's knocking on her big sister's door _for her entire life?_ Later, I eventually did get to see _Frozen_ with my grandma and one of my sisters. Listening to the soundtrack, I hadn't gotten the full context of the final verse of "Do You Want To Build a Snowman?", so naturally I started completely _bawling_. Picture if you will a 21-year-old man bursting into tears at the opening number of a Disney film while his very confused 12-year-old sister offers comfort.

Another time my mom got emotional at the movies was at _Wonder Woman_. Not at any particularly emotional moment, but rather the first time Diana was seen blocking a projectile with her armbands. She told me that Wonder Woman was such an important part of her childhood that just seeing her do her signature move on the big screen just got her all choked up.

Yeah, I can pretty well understand that, seeing as the DCEU has given us the sixth and seventh Superman movie, the ninth Batman movie, and the _first_ Wonder Woman movie. Friggin' Hollywood, man. Screw you, DC and Warner, for making my mother wait until she was pushing 50 to see her hero in the movies. It's a good thing Wonder Woman was crazy-successful, because you just know that if it was anything less, it would be another decade before we got another female superhero movie.

This has been my rant against Hollywood suits. Anyway, time for some yoga.

 **Day 19**

"All right, here we go… got the yoga book… there's, like, poses in it… yeah."

Sitting on a short wall outside the castle terrace, Rapunzel and Anna flipped through a glossy white volume filled with drawings, and detailed instructions, on yoga routines.

"A lot of these poses look like they're not gonna be easy to do in dresses," said Anna.

"Yeah, that's a reality we're going to have to face," Rapunzel said grimly. "You own any pants?"

"Nope."

"Know anyone we could borrow some from?"

"Can't say I do," said Anna. "None that would fit us. We're both too petite to wear men's clothes."

"Maybe we can go into town and buy some," Rapunzel pondered.

"Think we'd run into the same problem," said Anna. "Do they make pants that fit women? Is that a thing?"

"It is. Somewhere. I think. I dunno," Rapunzel muttered. "Hasn't quite hit our part of the world yet, I guess. Maybe we can get some leotards? Like for ballet practice?"

"That'd be perfect," said Anna, snapping her fingers. "Or we could save time and just do yoga in our underwear."

"Well, that _would_ save some—wait a minute." Rapunzel narrowed her eyes at Anna. "Is this just some excuse for us to hang out in our underwear?"

"I'll admit, the entire experience would be _so_ enhanced if I could watch you doing it in your underwear. I actually find it more exciting than seeing somebody naked."

"Agreed," Rapunzel said suspiciously.

"So, come on," said Anna, throwing an arm around Rapunzel's shoulders. "Let's get out of these dresses and do some yoga in just our panties and camis."

Rapunzel glanced back into the castle hallways. "I don't think I can do that, Anna."

"Oh, come on—"

"No, no, it's not that," said Rapunzel. "You've convinced me, I'm totally on board, it's just, ah…"

"Just, ah, _what_ , Punzie?" Anna said flirtatiously.

"It's just not convenient right at this very minute," said Rapunzel, blushing a bit and tugging at the neckline of her dress. "You kinda caught me wearing a g-string. But I can totally change, just give me a minute."

"A g-string?" Anna gaped. "You mean like a thong?"

"Very much like a thong," said Rapunzel. "Kind of one step beyond a thong. Like, a thong, but… less."

"Wow," said Anna. "Can I see it?"

Rapunzel smirked. "You do remember that the reason we're doing yoga is to try _not_ to be hot for each other, right?"

"Apparently, it's not working," Anna said cheerfully. "Let me see it! What color is it? Is it lacy?"

"Pink," Rapunzel replied awkwardly. "And very."

"What kind of pink? Pale? Bright? Hot?"

"Pale-ish. I don't wear a thong often, but this morning I was lonely for Eugene and needed to feel sexy… and I keep some frilly, cheeky stuff on hand for days when I'm in that kind of mood."

"I love frilly, cheeky stuff!" Anna said eagerly."All my favorite panties are like that… and I have a pretty substantial collection."

"Do you?"

"I've been collecting exciting underwear since I was fourteen," said Anna, dusting off her dress smugly. "All kinds! Sometimes I even make my own. No thongs, though. I haven't been brave enough to ever wear anything quite so… flossy."

"Yeah, they take some getting used to," said Rapunzel. "But then it's like they're not even there. And they really accent your butt. It just pops!" She turned so Anna could see her body in profile.

"You don't need it," Anna teased. "Your butt _always_ pops. That's just unnecessary! Wow, look at that booty… I want your body so much…"

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at her.

"By which I mean… I wish I _had_ your body. I mean, I wish your body was mine. I mean… I wish _my_ body was like _your_ body. There we go, that's what I meant. Hard thing to say."

"Eeeyeah," Rapunzel said dryly. "Anyway, why don't you go ahead and get started, start going through the poses, and I'll go change into some less-scandalous panties, and then I'll be totally good to go on with this totally non-sexual yoga-in-our-underwear idea. I won't be a moment."

She departed into the castle.

"Hate to see you leave, love to watch you go!" Anna called.

"You just _have_ to make this weirder than it has to be, don't you?" Rapunzel called back over her shoulder. "Oh! What kind of underwear are you wearing? Maybe we can be yoga twinsies."

She turned back to Anna, who had already stripped off her dress, and stood there in a camisole and panties. "White with little pink ribbons," she said unnecessarily, pointing to the details on both garments.

"Perfect," said Rapunzel. She looked over Anna's figure, then sighed. "Yeah, we miserably failed at making this non-sexual, didn't we?"

"Maybe a little," Anna said sheepishly.

~0~0~0~

"Got some good stuff on the table today," said Elsa, pounding her fist and her palm together as she walked with Merida down the halls. "Education reform stuff. You should sit in on it, actually. I mean, our cover story is that we're learning from each other, there's no reason you should be left out of all the royal business I always have to get dragged to every day. And this one's gonna be—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up, hold up," Merida said suddenly. "Sorry, I hate to interrupt, but my yuri sense is tingling."

"Yuri?" Elsa said blankly.

"Aha!" said Merida, pointing out the open doors.

"Is that…?"

"Anna and Rapunzel, out on the terrace in their underwear doing some sort of exercise," Merida confirmed. "Have I mentioned how much I love your family? Because I do, I _love_ your family."

"Yeah, I'll bet you do," said Elsa, approaching them. "Hey, you two. What's up? I mean, besides… stretching? I guess?"

"Stretching?" Anna scoffed. "It's yoga, Elsa."

"Ohhhh, you're doing _yoga_ ," Elsa said, grinning. "My mistake."

"Ha ha!" said Merida, clapping her hands excitedly and circling the two of them, eyeing their petite, lightly-clad bodies. "Mmm, gettin' into nice shape. Me likey!" She stopped circling, lingering behind them.

"She's checking me out, isn't she?" Rapunzel muttered.

"Yup," said Anna. "How'd you know?"

"She just had a real pervy look on her face while she was coming up behind me."

"Yeah, she's still got it, it's this really creepy smirk."

"Merida, if you're gonna perv on other women, at least wait until my back is turned," Elsa said calmly, smirking.

"Don'tcha worry, babe, I only sample the bouquet," Merida said jovially, throwing an arm around Rapunzel's shoulder. "The only wine I actually drink is a nice chilly 1818 Chateau Arendelle. White, of course. Very white."

Elsa laughed. "I was born in 1817, actually. Well, late December. Close enough to '18, I guess."

Leaning her head on Rapunzel's shoulder, Merida said, "You know, Punzie, one of these days you're gonna have to teach me how you got to be so cute. I must know your secrets."

"I don't know, Merida," said Rapunzel, blushing. "I'm pretty sure I'm just cute, I don't know that I could teach it."

"You can teach your cousin to be sexy, you can teach _me_ to be cute," Merida teased. "We're gonna be cousins someday, after all." She reached up and touched Rapunzel's cheek. "My God, your skin is soft and perfect. Never had a pimple in your life, have you?"

"No," Rapunzel admitted. "Magic, I guess."

"Huh, neither have I," Elsa said quietly.

"Couple of lucky bimbos who get born all magical and perfect," Anna grumbled.

"Well, you're gorgeous and I love you," Merida said to Rapunzel. "And your cute and squishy butt is cute and squishy." She squeezed Rapunzel's bottom.

"Eep!" Rapunzel cried out. "Merida…"

"Love your fancy, cheeky panties," Merida cooed. "I've got to get me some of those… all mine are really boring and plain, like Anna's."

"Hey!" Anna exclaimed, as Merida slapped her lightly on the rump and returned to Elsa's side.

"God, she's handsy," Rapunzel muttered.

"She does it out of love," Anna said wistfully. "I kinda like it, actually. It does wonders for my body image."

"That's one way to spin it…"

"It's not a spin."

"It really—"

"No, no, I see what you're saying, and I agree, but in these very specific circumstances with the individual people involved, it's not a spin. It's just the dynamic. Gosh, she's gonna be a cool sister-in-law. I mean, how many people can be a really cool gal pal, can be my sister's true love, _and_ you know they're totally sincere when they compliment your butt? How great is that?"

Rapunzel adjusted her underwear. "Well, hey, if you're fine with it and Elsa's fine with it, I guess she can get handsy with you all you like." Under her breath, she added, "I, for one, only need _one_ relative groping me."

Anna chuckled awkwardly.

"It's much less invasive when you do it," Rapunzel added.

"Aww, you're sweet."

"So listen, you two, we need to talk shop," said Elsa, rubbing her hands together. "Just for a moment, I've got an appointment, but just so long as I have you… I'm thinking an international effort to really… speak to the children. I just think the more focus we put on the children of our kingdoms, the better that'll be for our legacy."

"Legacy?" said Anna, puzzled. "Oh, come on, Elsa, you're only twenty-three. There's no need to scramble to establish a legacy."

"I'll remind you that Mom and Dad died fairly young," Elsa said darkly. "Anyway, we really might as well start now. I've heard one too many Snow Queen stories that didn't exactly get all the details right. I don't… I want to be known as a good person. I want to _be_ a good person. And if we can build a better world for—Merida, can you stop feeling me up for ten seconds?"

Merida, her hands enveloping Elsa's breasts, withdrew. "That long?" she whined. "Darling, sometimes you ask too much of this relationship." She squeezed once and withdrew again.

"Anyway, we're drawing up an education bill today," Elsa muttered. "You know… for the kids. Kids of Arendelle. Make them all smart and successful. I mean, obviously not _everyone_ can be smart and successful, but… most people is a… a possibility. Uh, yeah, anyway, gotta do that, really important. I'm… more passionate about it than I sound, it's just, um… uh…"

"When all's said and done, you'd rather be playing around in Merida's bits?" Rapunzel suggested.

"Yup, that's it," Elsa said sheepishly. "Bits. Good bits."

Merida embraced her from behind again, gently nibbling on Elsa's neck. Elsa moaned and leaned her head back.

"How do people in love _ever_ get anything done?" said Elsa. "You're so magnificent. And your body is just… I never want to leave."

"You're too kind, darling," Merida said sweetly.

"We're hot," Anna said suddenly.

The others looked at her in surprise.

"Just a thought I had," Anna said, grinning apologetically as she dipped into another stretch. "We're all really hot."

"Yeah, we're a pretty… pretty bunch," Elsa muttered. "Yeah, you heard me, I know I said we're pretty pretty. Anyway… yeah, I've gotta go run a country even though I can't freaking talk. I'll be right back, girls. The job… always calling."

~0~0~0~

"Welp, the yoga didn't work," Rapunzel said grimly.

"Nope," said Anna, sinking deeply into her bed, somewhat embarrassed.

"…Were you trying some new moves on me?"

"Yup. Sorry. Figured as long as we were kissing, I might as well…"

"Practice for kissing your boyfriend, yeah," Rapunzel finished. "Classic sleepover stuff."

"Yup."

Rapunzel sighed, annoyed with herself. "Well, it's been weird. Goodnight, Anna."

"…Yup."

Rapunzel turned her head to face Anna, irked at her quietly cheery tone. "This is more than just a weird compulsion to you, isn't it? I think maybe you're enjoying this too much."

Anna rolled over to get closer. "Maybe you're not enjoying it _enough_ , Punz. I know it's weird and creepy, but it's _us_."

"Us," Rapunzel echoed dully. "You know… _actually_ … I haven't really been doing my job. I'm not here so we can lounge around and have fun. I'm here to perform the royal duty of teaching you _your_ royal duty. Your 'wifely duty', if you will."

"Right," said Anna. "Hands-on lessons for the princess on how to make love to a man. How very archaic… and yet, somehow, very modern. Well, you know, I'm totally awesome at the hand and mouth stuff…"

"Meh, that's the easy part," Rapunzel said dismissively. She rolled over, getting up on top of Anna, her entire body looming over her.

"W-what are you doing?" Anna said nervously.

"I'll be the man."

"Uh… all right," Anna squeaked, trying to shrink away. "Um… you really think we're up to simulating sex with each other?"

Rapunzel rolled her shoulders in what was half a shrug, half a sensual display. "Like you said last night, we don't have that particular temptation. Let's just roll with the temptations we have. We'll keep everything below the waist purely theoretical, of course. But let's do what we're here for. Now… we already know how you kiss _me_ —sweet, gentle—so show me how you kiss Kristoff."

Understanding, Anna surged upward, her face attacking Rapunzel's viciously.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Fun fact, the idea of Rapunzel doing yoga originated from _Tangled_ 's (blecch, damn title) Japanese dub. Now, I take my Japanese media like I take my coffee, dubbed, but I also have a liking for watching English-language stuff dubbed into Japanese and then subbed back into English, go figure. According to one such sub, the bit in "When Will My Life Begin" where Rapunzel says "stretch" is translated as "yoga" in the Japanese version. So I thought that was cool, I liked the idea of Rapunzel doing yoga. She just seems like the type, doesn't she?

Another fun fact, the yoga is just as anachronistic as the panties, as yoga as we know it didn't really become a thing, at least not in the West, until the 1960s. Which, incidentally, was the decade in which it became okay for women to wear pants, so I guess not many people have faced the issue our girls did at the beginning there.


	34. Day 20

**AN:** All right, done with my mass uploading… deal. I'll post these over the course of some days, and hopefully I'll have enough chapters prepared to keep on posting daily.

 **Day 20**

Anna skipped around a corner. "He'll be back any minute!" she sang. "Today, for sure. Well, almost sure. Maybe tomorrow. Gonna do new stuff…"

"Where do you think you'll take him?" Rapunzel asked, trailing behind her.

"Huh?"

"Well, you have plans, right?"

"Well, yeah, but why would I need to take him anywhere?" Anna said blankly. "We can make out and play around here in the castle. We do most of it in his room, to be honest."

"Uh, never mind then," said Rapunzel. "Stick with that."

"So, how was I, last night?" Anna said gleefully, leaning close toward her.

"Fantastic," said Rapunzel. "Let's just keep on practicing just like that until we've nailed it. And then you can nail _him_."

"Yay!"

"Just… here's the thing… next time, keep in mind that for the purposes of our exercises, I have a _man's_ chest."

"Oh… right," Anna said sheepishly. "Well, that's not half as much fun, you know."

Rapunzel eyed her. "Are you _sure_ you're not bisexual?"

"Positive."

"So you're just a straight woman who's weirdly obsessed with boobs?"

"Maybe," said Anna. "I guess. Maybe. I dunno. I definitely like _your_ boobs." She reached out and squeezed them.

"Oh, quit it," Rapunzel grumbled.

"But come on, they're great," said Anna, fondling them animatedly. "Small, but not hilariously small like mine, really cute, _super_ perky, and so springy…"

"That is a lot of adjectives," Rapunzel said dryly. "Come on, cousin, they're just boobies."

" _Just_ boobies? No. They're _fantastic_ boobies. I wish they were mine so much."

Rapunzel laughed. "Stop it. Stop touching them." She glanced over Anna's shoulder, spotting Elsa approaching. "I really mean that even though I'm laughing. Please."

"Okay," Anna said sadly, withdrawing.

Elsa chuckled as she came within a few steps of them. "Hands-on lovemaking lessons?"

"Yeah, they've started to get really practical," Rapunzel said, gazing up at the ceiling with a sigh.

"You two are way too close."

"You have no idea."

"Anna, Kristoff's been sighted back in town," Elsa reported.

"Awesome!" Anna chirped. "You know it's our anniversary?"

"Really?" said Rapunzel.

"Yuppers. One year to the day since I stopped being scared of my feelings and asked him out."

"Yeah, that was great," said Elsa. "Took you two long enough. The sexual tension really was really stinking up the air in this joint."

"Ugh, I knoooow," said Anna. "Mmm, it's gonna be great to have him back. I'm so randy…"

"No sex with him today, Anna," Rapunzel said, amused.

"Of course not. But I'm hoping for some nice, sexy anniversary heavy petting. How do I look?"

Rapunzel looked her over. Anna was wearing a short black dress that bared her shoulders and cleavage, decorated with a braided red belt. Her copper hair was long and loose, freshly washed and fluffed, and after a few weeks of somewhat garish makeup choices while entertaining Rapunzel, her face was decorated with only a small touch of eyeliner and faint pink lipstick.

"Anna, you are incandescent," Rapunzel said sincerely.

Anna squealed, drawing both of her palms up to her face. "Wow. I had no idea how much I needed to be told that. And who could I have possibly heard it from besides you? As if I know anybody else who knows the word 'incandescent'. W-what does it mean?"

"What, you think I don't know the word 'incandescent'?" said Elsa, affronted. "Also, 'randy'?"

"Got that one from Merida. Isn't it cute?"

"Not the word I'd have used, 'cute'…"

"I just love language so much!" said Anna. "Like… sometimes someone calls something 'fluffy', and you think like, you know, it's not fluffy so much as 'fuzzy'… but 'randy' works so much better for when I just want to make love, you know? It's not like 'horny', which sounds more violent and vulgar and kinda dirty, I guess? 'Cause, heh, let me tell you, I sure do get horny."

Elsa winced. "Gah. Yeah, I'm sure you do."

"But not right now?" said Rapunzel.

"Nope. Just nice and… _randy_."

"I don't think you're using that right," said Elsa. "But you do you."

~0~0~0~

No sooner had Kristoff entered the palace doors when Anna leaped upon him, her arms around his neck and her feet dangling off the ground as she kissed him passionately. Their teeth scraped together as she pried his mouth open and forced her tongue inside.

Soon, he was coughing and spluttering, unable to breathe, and gently pushed her away, still holding her aloft.

"I am loving this new way of greeting me," he said.

"Gotta have you right now," she mumbled, trying to force her way closer and kiss him again.

"Take it easy," he laughed, setting her down. "Hey… happy anniversary."

He produced a snow globe from within his coat.

"Eeeee!" she squealed, jumping up and down and taking the item. Inside the globe, a man and woman stood atop a snowy hill. "It's us!" she exclaimed, seeing the details of the two figures.

"It sure is," he said.

"…And Sven," she said, noticing the reindeer that both of the tiny wooden people were petting.

"We're kind of a package deal."

"Meh, fair enough. This is amazing, Kristoff. You are totally forgiven for the gift you gave me four months ago."

"What was wrong with the air freshener?"

"Doesn't matter," she said, embracing him. "It's been a magical year, Kristoff. Come on, let's go to your room. I have so many plans to tell you about."

~0~0~0~

"So, where are we going?" Kristoff asked as he slipped out of his boots.

She frowned at him. He was sitting on his bed while she had been cheerfully flittering around his room. "Why do people keep asking me that? Do we have to leave your bedroom?"

"Oh," he said. "Those kinds of plans, huh?"

Anna walked over and ran her fingers through his hair. "I miss going all the way with you," she whispered, pained. "I wish we'd had time to do it more than once. Next month, I guess."

"Uh-huh."

" _Lots_ of plans for that," she said, licking her lips. "But some plans we can implement right now."

She dropped into his lap and kissed him madly, and in response he inhaled deeply and wrapped his arms around her.

When he had a moment to breathe, he whispered to her, "Remember how we used to steal little kisses before we even started dating?"

She giggled. "Uh-huh. And you'd always covertly brush against my boob with your thumb every chance you got."

"We've come a long way."

"We sure have," said Anna. She slipped her shoulders out of her dress, then pulled it down, revealing her breasts to him. His hands were on them almost instantly, still shaking.

"You have such nice hands," Anna whispered, leaning closer to him for another kiss. "I… I just can't…"

"Can't what?"

"I can't _stop_ ," she said raggedly.

Standing up, she opened his jacket to reveal his shirt, which she actually ripped in two, baring his chest. She shoved him flat on his back on the bed, and in an instant her dress was gone, thrown to the floor as if by magic, and she was on top of him, grasping at his waistband.

~0~0~0~

Anna walked stiff-legged into the castle library, finding Rapunzel reading in a cushy chair and sitting on one of the chair's arms, staring ahead blankly.

"Er… hey, Punzel?"

She looked up.

"Funny story…" Anna mumbled. "I was with Kristoff, and we were getting kinda hot and heavy, and all of a sudden I just, like, _really_ wanted him, even more than I did already, and I was just overcome with the desire to get all kinds of naked with him right then and there… just super, crazy hot. But I resisted."

"Good for you," Rapunzel said in genuine approval.

"Right?" said Anna, relieved. "Thank God I resisted the temptation, or who knows what would have happened."

Rapunzel nodded, beaming.

"W-what would have happened?" Anna said nervously.

"Sorry?"

"You're the one who knows all the sex stuff. What would have happened?"

Rapunzel closed her book, keeping her finger on her page. "Well… let's see… your period was two weeks ago, right?"

"Right," said Anna. "Um… less. Because I slept with him _exactly_ two weeks ago, and my period came just after, like we planned."

"Ooooh, yeah, that could have been a very unpleasant surprise for you," Rapunzel said grimly. "Because right about now, halfway through the cycle, that's when you're at your most fertile, when the body really, _really_ wants to make a baby. It's pretty much the exact perfect time to have sex when you _want_ to conceive."

"Oh," Anna said softly. "Well, that's a scary thought." She stared up at the highest bookshelves, her lips frozen in a grim approximation of a smile.

"You were lying, weren't you?" said Rapunzel, grinning. "You didn't resist the temptation at all."

"Nope," said Anna. "Totally gave in to it. Shredded his clothes into confetti and rode him like a wild mustang. Or maybe a reindeer. No, no, strike that, a reindeer isn't as sexy as a mustang…"

"Before we hit the inevitable adorable Anna tangent," Rapunzel interrupted, "let's make sure I've got this right: you had sex with Kristoff?"

"Uh-huh."

"Just now?"

"Of course."

"And did he…?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Yeah, you're pregnant, dude."

"Nnnngggh, I was afraid of that," Anna whimpered. "You really think so?"

"Well, we'll find out in a month, won't we?" Rapunzel said cheerfully.

"Shiiiiiit."

"Oh hey, you _can_ curse."

"When the moment calls for it, yeah, I guess," Anna muttered.

"It's kinda funny, isn't it," Rapunzel mused, opening her book again, "how getting pregnant on purpose seems to be so difficult, but getting pregnant by accident seems to be so easy."

"Hilarious," Anna said dully. "If you're really into the idea of God having a really sick, twisted sense of humor. He's sick. God is a sick bastard."

"Look, it's a very small window at that halfway point," Rapunzel said gently. "It's less than a day. Precautions are important, of course, but getting pregnant is _actually_ pretty difficult, relatively speaking. I mean, I've been trying all year."

Anna wordlessly grumbled and slipped off the chair's arm and into Rapunzel's lap. Rapunzel scooted aside, leaving the two of them squeezed together in the seat.

"Relax, okay cousin?" said Rapunzel, pulling Anna into an embrace. "I can see where this is going, but it isn't worth a month of anxiety. Like I've said before, the worst thing that can happen if you miss your period next month is that you'll have to marry Kristoff, and you're gonna do that anyway eventually. And once you're married, you can make love any time you want!"

"That is true."

"So let's keep living life as though you're definitely not pregnant, all right?" Rapunzel said gently, stroking Anna's hair. "We'll just proceed as planned with your next safe days."

"All right," said Anna, leaning into the embrace. "You sure are good at reassuring me. So short, and yet so wise."

"Oh, a height joke," Rapunzel snipped. "That's nice. Like I don't get enough of those back home."

Anna turned her head and planted a kiss on Rapunzel's lips.

"What, the middle of the day now?" Rapunzel said wistfully.

"Guess so."

"Please stop doing… that," Rapunzel sighed, before leaning in and kissing Anna back.

"We really shouldn't…" Anna agreed.

"We _really_ shouldn't," Rapunzel said sadly. "So why do we…?"

"I just don't know. I'm not attracted to you."

"Me neither. I see you as family."

"But every time emotions run really high…" Anna muttered.

"I've just gotta," Rapunzel finished. "You do have this amazing, calming soothing effect on me."

"We don't have to give into this…"

"Of course not. We're grown women, ostensibly…"

"Right, who can control ourselves well enough to…"

"To not give in to this weird urge…"

"And failing that," said Anna, "we can control ourselves well enough to…"

"…To limit it to _just_ kissing," Rapunzel said.

"Well, that goes without saying," Anna said, before kissing her again.

"I love you so much, Anna," Rapunzel said passionately.

"And I love _you_ , Punzie."

Rapunzel glanced at her wedding ring. She clenched a fist to block it from her view, leaning back in her chair and determinedly returning to her book.

~0~0~0~

"Ooh," Merida remarked. A moment later, she stifled a shriek and gasped, "OOOH!"

Elsa smirked up at her. "Are you surprised?"

"No one's ever done _that_ before," Merida breathed. "Don't… don't talk to me, go back to the doing…"

"With pleasure."

The doors of the stable opened. In a panic, Merida clamped her thighs together, crushing Elsa's head.

"Ow!"

"Sorry…"

Neither of them dared to move or breathe as someone entered the stable and led a single horse out, seeming to take far too long, every heartbeat feeling like a dead giveaway to their presence.

Once the unseen person was gone, Elsa and Merida got to their feet in the stall, both of them naked.

"Well, that was way too close," Elsa muttered, rubbing her temples.

"You okay, babe?"

"I'm fine. Just hurts a bit. Your thighs are almost comically muscular…"

"I climb," Merida said simply.

"No big deal," said Elsa. "Worse that we almost got caught…"

"It's not kinky if there's no chance of being caught at all," said Merida, her hand creeping up Elsa's back.

"Yeah, I guess you're into that…"

"Why the stables, by the way? We were here just the other day."

"Yeah, but you only pleasured _me_ then, so it felt like… a need for closure…"

Merida nodded. "So… shall we finish?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't finish."

"Oh. Right, you still need to… eenh, I can't now, I'm freaked out, someone else might… let's finish in my bedroom, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Let's see, where's my dress _this_ time? Why do you always throw it so damn far…?"

Elsa crossed the stable to find her dress, a yellow ball gown trimmed with red and blue. As elaborate as it was, she had to use her magic to disassemble it and remake it around her body.

"We can't keep this up," she sighed, soaking in the sight of Merida's body before she slipped it into her own dress. "All these close calls… who _knows_ how many people have actually figured it out, and spread the word, without it getting back to _us_ … and we're just getting more and more obvious. I mean, nobody could have possibly missed that you've been sleeping in my bed."

"Punzie sleeps in Anna's bed."

"My bed is kind of a bigger deal," Elsa said patiently. "Queen and… whatnot. Besides, they're… it's just more of their little schoolgirl sleepovers, everyone's seen those, they take that shtick all over the castle. You're not a relative, and what _we've_ been taking all over the castle is our intensely kinky sex. Maybe nobody's called us out on it, but people are bound to have _noticed_. It makes my skin crawl, to think what whispers might be going on behind our back."

"Elsa… everybody loves you," said Merida. "They wouldn't talk behind your back."

"Wouldn't they?"

"Babe, look, I want so badly for us to come out, but I want it to be on _your_ terms," Merida said gently, approaching Elsa and stroking her comfortingly. "Don't feel like you have to do it just to preempt accusations."

"Of course not," Elsa murmured. "You know, it's… this is good. All this freaking out about being caught has been _so_ draining. I need to own up to us so I can _enjoy_ us. That nagging part of me that's afraid of getting caught needs to be excised, and now."

"Now?" Merida said eagerly.

"Well, not now-now, but… before this breaks me."

Merida kissed her. "I don't want you to break, my love."

Elsa looked down at Merida's body. Her dress was very tight, stretched taut against her abdominal muscles and breasts, her nipples as pronounced as they would be in no dress at all. A little moan of longing escaped Elsa's lips.

"I'm scared of what people will say," she admitted.

"I know, lass."

"But whatever it might be, all this hiding is a thousand times worse."

~0~0~0~

"I'm freaked out," Anna admitted, flat on her back in bed. "I was freaking out the whole time, honestly, I knew that I shouldn't be doing it… even in the context of, like, how according to society I shouldn't be alone and naked with him no matter what, it's always wrong, so this was like, extra-wrong…"

"It's not…" Rapunzel began.

"And you know, he _let_ me do it. I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind about that…"

"Let's not stoop to victim-blaming," Rapunzel said dryly.

"Hey, he could have said something. I could have used the reminder that we're not supposed to."

"Why is that _his_ responsibility?"

"Well, just look at me! Look at how irresponsible I am! You can't expect anything of _me_ , surely!"

"Anna, come on. It's crazy to think that he wanted to make love any less than you did, and when it comes to the reasons you _shouldn't_ , you know that better than he does. You really can't blame him for playing along."

"No, I guess not," Anna said glumly. "It's all on me, isn't it?"

"That's about the shape of it, yeah."

"But it was such. Good. _Sex_ ," Anna moaned. "I think I would have gone crazy if I hadn't had a chance to feel that again. Just playing around wouldn't have cut it. I needed him deep, _deep_ inside me again…" She slammed her fist ineffectually against the bed.

"You didn't _need_ it, Anna," Rapunzel said patiently.

"Hey, what happened to not judging me?"

"I never said I wasn't going to be judging you."

"Huh?"

"I'm kidding."

"Ugh, what's wrong with me?" said Anna, bringing her hands to her face. "I'm always overeating and saying things before thinking and running off to have almost-sex… and then after a few days without almost-sex I just _had_ to have actual sex. I don't have any impulse control whatsoever."

"Well, if that's true, neither do I," said Rapunzel. "I've already told you, I had impulsive sex with Eugene a whole bunch of times before we got married. The first time, we did it right in the middle of the living room. In the tower that I wanted nothing more than to leave. In full view of Pascal. Who had just killed Gothel."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, but none of that mattered when I realized Eugene and I were free to… to do as we wished. When you're aroused, it's easy to forget about… _everything_. Everything except what your body wants right then and there. And it's incredibly easy to feel gross afterward."

"Wait, go back a second," said Anna. "Pascal killed Gothel? I thought Eugene killed Gothel."

"No, no, Eugene was dying of a stab wound and I was trying to save him. It was _all_ Pascal."

"That's crazy."

Rapunzel knocked on Anna's forehead. "Back on subject…"

"Right," said Anna. "You know… I don't think I'll give in again. Tongue stuff actually feels way better anyway… but it'll sure be nice when we're married and the pressure's off."

"Sounds good."

Anna rolled over and kissed Rapunzel.

"But you're totally okay giving in to _this_ , are you?" Rapunzel said dryly.

"Yeah, why not?"

Anna slipped her tongue into Rapunzel's mouth. Rapunzel grabbed her aggressively, rolling them over so she was on top, and kissed Anna back intensely.

"I just can't stop," Rapunzel said pitifully.

"Please don't stop," Anna whispered back. "I need you. Nobody else loves me this way."

"Oh, Anna…"

Rapunzel kissed her deeply, breathing hard.

~0~0~0~

Elsa and Merida left the stable, out in the castle yards under the evening sky, walking hand in hand. Three guards stood between them and the doors to the castle proper.

"Hello, your majesty," one of them said, a short but broad-shouldered man with vaguely Mediterranean complexion, tipping his hat backward in greeting. "Enjoyed your time in the stables?"

"Er… yeah," said Elsa. "We had fun. We were just… what do you do in a stable? Slipping treats to the horses. You know, behind the backs of… the guy who feeds them."

The three guards traded amused glances with each other. "You know, Queen Elsa, you don't have to lie to us."

"What?" Elsa said, disarmed.

"We're not stupid," he said. "They really don't let you join the military if you're stupid."

"Er… well, of course you're not stupid," Elsa said, embarrassed, kicking at the ground. "The princess and I were just…"

"It's okay," said the guard. "We know you two are more than friends, that you're…"

"Banging," a second guard supplied in a deep voice.

"Yeah, banging!" chirped the third, a tall and gangly man.

"And we approve," the first guard finished.

Elsa frantically looked around for anyone within earshot before leaning closer to the guards and hissing, "We are not 'banging'! We're in love."

The first guard help us his hands in apology. "Our mistake. Well, I can't speak for the nation of Arendelle, but we three guards, we couldn't be happier for you."

"Yeah!" said the tall one, nodding vigorously.

"If I may?" said Merida, holding up a finger. "I'd just like to make what I think is an important correction: we're in love, but we're _also banging_."

"Oh, we know!" said the tanned guard. "It's a delight to hear the queen having… such a very good time."

"Oh my God, you guys!" Elsa exclaimed.

"Ha-ha, they love us," Merida taunted, poking Elsa in the shoulder with every syllable. "The people of Arendelle love the hell out of you, babe."

"It's true, we love the hell out of you," the deep-voiced guard said with a smile.

"All right, look, you guys," Elsa said firmly, raising her hands in a commanding way. "I know we're not exactly masters of stealth, I know a lot of people know, but not _everybody_ knows, so if you could just keep this to yourselves and let me bring this out in the open in my _own_ time."

"Yeah, her own time," Merida said hastily. "I'm in full support of that."

"Soon," Elsa concluded.

"Soon," Merida agreed.

"Well, we can't wait," said the first guard.

Elsa put a hand over her eyes. "Ugh, this is embarrassing. I'll be on my way, now." She started toward the castle.

"That ass, though, am I right, fellas?" Merida said boisterously.

"Please, Princess," said the deep-voiced one. "You can't talk about our queen that way. But yeah."

"Princess Merida," the tall guard said eagerly, "what were you doing last night that made Queen Elsa say 'don't stop' about thirty thousand times?"

"Oh!" said Merida. "Well, I was approaching with two fingers, like this…" She demonstrated, lifting both hands with her index fingers about an inch apart.

"Merida!" Elsa cried, turning around.

"It's not idle curiosity, your majesty," the guard said hastily, "I'm asking for my wife."

"I gotta help the man please his wife, Elsa," Merida stated.

"Fine," Elsa grumbled. "You do that. I'm leaving before I expire from raw humiliation. Meet me in the bedroom." After a brief beat during which she almost turned around, she faced them again and pointed directly at Merida. "And by that I mean _just you_."

Merida snickered. "Of course."

"…Thank you, gentlemen," Elsa mumbled. "The time for letting the whole kingdom know is… is inevitable, and… I'll stop avoiding it, I promise. I appreciate your support."

The guards smiled back at her, while Merida veritably lit up.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Hehe, it's kind of amazing to think of how many lines in this story are foreshadowing for things that _will_ happen, months or even years in the future. Yeah, when the particulars of this story first popped into my head early this year, _a lot_ of stuff popped into my head.


	35. Day 21

**AN:** Hi, nobody! Sorry about the two-week gap in updates that affected nobody because nobody's here! Yay, I really do have no one in this world…

 **Day 21**

"My gosh, another great trip to the theatre! How do they do it, week after week…"

"Well, it's not the same people every week. I don't think you can prepare a show like that in… in a week… the stress would kill you."

"Mmm, yeah."

Elsa, Merida, Anna, and Rapunzel filed out of the theatre again, lingering around the exit.

"But gosh, that was a good play," said Anna, looking over the pamphlet they had received at the performance. "A classic Hungarian love story, huh? Can't believe I'd never heard of it before. It was so heartwarming!" She did a little twirl in the street.

"I found the conflict near the end there a bit forced," said Rapunzel. "Sometimes I just wish fictional characters would just make upright decisions and be honest with each other for a change, instead of being duplicitous to draw out the tension. I mean, Georg figures out that Amalia is his pen pal at the end of the first act, but doesn't tell her until the last scene of the show? What's up with that?"

"Well, obviously first he had to make sure that she didn't, like, still hate him," Anna said wisely.

"…I'm not sure that makes it better," said Rapunzel. "Ah, what am I nitpicking for? It's an adorable love story."

"It sure is," said Anna. " _She Loves Me_. Tee hee, she does indeed!"

Elsa was leading their procession, her eyes scanning the streets of Arendelle as they passed the many citizens.

"Look at all the people," Merida remarked.

"Yup," said Elsa. "All of them coming from somewhere, going somewhere…"

"Isn't that something?" said Merida. "Wild to think about. I almost want to ask every one of them what their story is. They've all got one."

"Mm-hmm."

Every time Elsa's eyes passed over one of the citizens, they smiled back at her warmly, many of them nodding or waving.

"You know… you're right, Rapunzel," she said. "He should have told her as soon as he discovered it for himself."

"You think so?" said Rapunzel.

Elsa turned around, walking backwards as she looked at the three of them. "Me, I've delayed for too long already," she said. "Love should not be silenced."

She took Merida by the hand and ran, bringing her back to the castle as quickly as she could.

Rapunzel grinned. "Looks to me like she has plans."

"Mm, maybe she's just horny," said Anna. "I know I am! I need Kristoff's body again… right now…"

"Well, we can't have that. I'll dump some cold water on you."

~0~0~0~

"Gerda?"

Kai approached his colleague in the main hall of the castle, looking over a bit of parchment.

"Gerda, are you the one who ordered all these doilies?" Kai asked her.

"Er, yes, I was," Gerda said apologetically. "I hope I wasn't overstepping my bounds there, I've just got some plans."

"What sort of plans?"

"Just getting an early start on Easter, don'tcha know," Gerda said with a grin. "Just a nice little gathering for the castle staff."

"Well, I have no doubt that our quartet of princesses have big plans for Easter themselves," said Kai. "I hope you'll be there to help me arrange whatever it is they're inspired to put together."

"Oh, I assure you, Kai, I'm not going anywhere," said Gerda, winking. "But I'm also putting together something that's just… us."

"Kai!"

The two of them turned, seeing Elsa gliding up the stairs toward them.

"Oh, and hello Gerda," Elsa added.

"Your majesty," said Gerda, bowing her head. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"You'll see," Elsa said slyly. "Kai, I have news. I want town criers shouting it on every street corner. I want pamphlets, spread throughout the city! I want… hmm… what other forms of news media are there? I guess that's all of them, isn't it?"

"It's enough, I'm sure," Kai chuckled, preparing a quill and parchment. "What is the news?"

"You ready to write this down? Okay…" Elsa mumbled awkwardly. She took a deep breath and proceeded, her eyes firmly on the tile floor. "I… Queen Elsa… would like to inform my people… that the visiting Princess Merida of DunBroch is… my sweetheart. We are in love, and we're courting, and there is every reason to believe that we are going to get married."

She looked up at Kai. He was still writing it down, looking at the words as he did so, but he looked surprised.

"Did you get all that?" said Elsa, checking on what he was writing. "Yes, you did! Okay… how soon can it be all over town?"

"Well, if we start making the pamphlets now, we can start distributing them tomorrow morning," Kai said grandly.

"Good," said Elsa, smiling. "Get started. Go tell the world."

Kai hesitated, but took one look at Elsa and smiled back at her. "Yes, Queen Elsa." He left.

Elsa turned to go back the way she came. "Hi, Gerda," she said. "What do you think?"

"I think you're very brave, your majesty," Gerda said quietly. "And it's always nice to see you this happy."

Elsa's smile slowly vanished as she realized Gerda was refusing to look at her. "You're being evasive," she said. "Do you not approve?"

She finally managed to catch Gerda's eye. "It's not my place to approve or otherwise, majesty," Gerda whispered.

Elsa glared at her for a moment, then sighed and turned away. "I guess if I waited for the whole world to approve of me, I'd be waiting for a long time."

Gerda said nothing.

"Right?" Elsa said sharply.

"Th-that you would, Princess," Gerda said hastily.

"Queen," Elsa growled.

"Yes, of course."

Elsa glared. "You can leave now, Gerda."

"Thank you, your majesty." Gerda scurried away.

~0~0~0~

"So it's happening?"

Merida sat at Elsa's side, wide-eyed and eager.

"Yeah," said Elsa. "In the morning it'll be plastered all over Arendelle. Everyone will know."

"Darling, that's… wonderful," said Merida, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder.

Anna and Rapunzel entered the dining hall together.

"Whoa, heads up," Merida said quietly, taking in Anna's expression.

Anna was walking a bit stiffly, and seemed to have trouble taking in her surroundings, looking hurt and confused.

"Elsa, you won't believe this," she said, taking a seat between Elsa and Kristoff. "Gerda resigned. She's leaving to go live with her family in Denmark."

Elsa looked up in surprise. "Leaving? When?"

"Today," said Anna. "Why would she do that?"

Elsa didn't answer, just looked down at her food, in mild shock. "One person," she muttered to herself. "Gerda is just _one_ person… one person whom I _thought_ I could trust." With a shaky hand, she reached for her fork, only to find that it had frozen. "Oops…" With a flick of her hand, the fork went back to normal. Elsa took a deep breath and continued to talk to herself. "The people of Arendelle love me, they love me, it'll all be okay."

She glanced at Anna, at her side, then to all the castle workers and guards, working and dining all around her, then to the seat at her other side, to Merida. Elsa slowly leaned in to give Merida a kiss, but withdrew before Merida noticed, unable to bring herself to do it.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said tenderly. "I'm so sorry. It's okay… don't be scared…"

"I'm not," Elsa said in surprise.

Anna looked her over. "Wow. You're really not. That's a good girl." She kissed the side of Elsa's head.

Elsa turned to face Merida, who was pouting at her sympathetically.

"What?" Elsa said blankly.

"What what?"

"Elsa," Rapunzel cut in, "you _do_ realize that when you talk to yourself, you do it audibly, right?"

"Well, I didn't until you showed up and started pointing it out," Elsa grumbled.

"So, are you… out of the closet now?" said Rapunzel.

"Not yet," Elsa said weakly. "I certainly will be in the morning, though. That's when the press releases go out…"

"So, we can talk about your relationship openly now?"

"Looks like we already are."

Rapunzel tilted her head. "Are you not ready for this?"

"I'm really not," said Elsa. "But I did it anyway. I will not be evasive anymore. I am in love with Merida and she deserves public acknowledgment."

Elsa hastily looked down. Rapunzel looked around the room, and saw several servants and guards silently expressing surprise.

Merida stroked Elsa's face. "Babe, I'm so proud of you. Look at me."

Elsa did, and Merida gave her a gentle, lingering kiss.

"Anna!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

"What?" Anna said innocently.

"Not at the table," Rapunzel scolded.

Anna, giggling, withdrew her hand from between Kristoff's legs. "Sorry. I'll get back to that later." She reached for a plate.

"No, no!" said Rapunzel. "Go wash your hands!"

"Fine," said Anna, scooting her chair back and standing up. "As long as I'm leaving… come on, Kristoff, we'll have dinner after."

"After?" he said blankly. "But I thought… do we really want to double the odds?"

"No, not to worry, we won't have another… indiscretion," Anna said sweetly. "I figured I'd return to my selfless ways. Make you relax by… being selfless."

"Oh?" he said blankly, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh…"

"Yup," said Anna with satisfaction. "There are _plenty_ of ways I can provide selfless relaxation. Well, two. Two that I know of. You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, of course you do. We've done them. "

"Yes, we have…"

"Are you gettin' excited?"

"Yuh-huh."

"Hee hee hee…"

Anna took him by the hand and drew him away from the table.

"I don't know if I'm totally comfortable with you being selfless, Anna," he said in amusement. "I mean, doesn't that make me, by default, selfish? For letting you?"

"Well, maybe I'm _not_ being entirely selfless," she admitted. "Maybe I just have confidence that you'll return the favor and be selfless yourself sometime. Sometime like… immediately after _I'm_ done being selfless."

Merida turned to Elsa. "Just so I know I'm following this conversation, 'being selfless' is a euphemism for going down on someone, right?"

"Yes, sweetie," said Elsa.

"Just makin' sure."

"Yeah, you kind of killed the point of speaking in euphemisms there," Kristoff told her.

"'Going down on someone' _is_ a euphemism!" Merida said defensively. "It's not exactly the technical term, or even an informative phrase, it's just that everybody knows what it means."

"Yeah, I have to admit," said Elsa, "I've heard a lot of euphemisms, especially, you know, _lately_ , with Merida around, but never 'being selfless'."

"I made it up," Anna said modestly.

"It's good," said Merida. "I like it, it's accurate. Maybe it'll catch on."

Anna grabbed Kristoff's shoulders. "Come on, Kristoff, let's go before I start drooling."

"Too late, baby."

Anna and Kristoff ran away, bursting through the dining hall's double doors noisily.

"She's a funny egg, ain't she?" Merida said fondly. "A bit nutty. Silly in the head."

"More than you know," said Elsa.

"How'd that happen, d'you suppose?" Merida inquired. "By any chance, was she dropped on her head at a very young age?"

Elsa went very still. "Oh, gosh. Um… kinda?" She stared at Merida, wide-eyed. "She was pretty nutty _before_ then. Of course, she was five, so what's the baseline? Damn it, Merida, now you've got me all worried about this."

"Sorry, babe."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** I'd say "oh, why bother?" but I really am holding out hope. Someday. Someone. _Please_ , say something.


	36. Day 22

**AN:** Here we have a moment like those I mentioned much earlier, where keeping track of the character's cycles gives me a nice atmospheric character moment. I keep most of them subtextual, but sometimes I think of one that works by being more overt. Someday there'll be some that actually have relevance to the scene they're in! But not yet.

 **Day 22**

Elsa stood at her window, looking out on the kingdom and the sea, as the sun sparkled off the water. Her mind was racing, going all sorts of places as she pondered what may have been going on in town that morning.

The bedroom door opened behind her, and Merida entered, wearing a neat wide-brimmed hat and bearing a couple of shopping bags.

"Hey, honey," Elsa said absently. "Early morning trip to the store?"

"Yup."

"The pamphlets… the news… is it spreading?"

Merida shrugged. "It's six in the morning, babe. No time at all to be bombarded with news that the queen and the teenage princess she's mentoring have been rolling in the hay."

Elsa looked at her wildly. "I didn't mention that in the…"

"Figure of speech, babe."

"Oh," said Elsa, embarrassed. "Sorry." She paused. "See, we actually _have_ rolled in hay, that's what threw me."

"Yeah, I got that."

"So… no public response yet, then?"

"Well, the pamphlets are out," said Merida, rifling through one of her bags. "I didn't see anyone with them, but I turned a few heads."

"More than usual?" Elsa said uneasily.

"…Maybe," said Merida. "Hard to say. I'll be right back."

Merida concealed herself in Elsa's walk-in closet. Elsa took a deep breath, and stepped away from the window to look at herself in her vanity mirror.

"Moment of truth today," she said to herself. "It'll be fine. They love me. They love me, they love me, they love me, they love me, they think I'm awesome, they're totally gonna support me, they love me. You don't really believe it, do you? Well, that's because you're an insufferable basket case who won't accept reality. Reality is awesome."

She put on a fierce expression and gazed deeply into her own eyes. Unconvinced by her reflection's confidence, she whimpered.

Merida emerged from the closet, her fists clenched at her sides, stomping irritably. "Well, that went well."

"What's the matter, sweetie?"

Merida sighed. "I just had my damn period all over the sexy new panties I bought. Guess you'll have to wait until after laundry day to see them. You got a pad?"

Elsa pulled open one of her dresser drawers and rifled through it.

"Heard ya talkin' to yourself," Merida said gently.

"Goddamn it."

"Babe, it's fine," Merida said soothingly, stroking Elsa's arms. " _I_ love you. You know that, right?"

Elsa smiled, and reached out to stroke Merida's face. "I doubt a lot of things… everything, really… but not that. Knowing that word's going to spread to the whole kingdom today, that's… knowing that you're there for me no matter what they're going to say is all that keeps me from breaking."

~0~0~0~

The entire day passed.

Rapunzel made her way down the lantern-lit hallway, a vibrantly purple book under one arm and wrapped in a short, glossy bathrobe.

Reaching the door to Anna's bedroom, she lifted her hand toward the doorknob, but paused when she heard Anna singing a lively song.

" _I'm not wearing underwear today,_ " she sang.

"Oh, God," said Rapunzel, rolling her eyes.

" _No, I'm not wearing underwear today_ ," she went on. " _Not that you probably care, much about my underwear_ …"

"Anna, my beloved cousin, you've officially gone off the rails," Rapunzel muttered, entering the room.

" _Nevertheless, I've gotta say_ … _that I'm not wearing underwear toDAAAAAY!_ " Anna finished as she danced around her closet, rearranging her shoes.

"Hey, Anna," said Rapunzel.

"Oh hey, Punzie," said Anna, emerging from the closet. "I wasn't sure where you were. Avoiding my singing, I suppose?"

"Not at all," said Rapunzel. "Although your choice of song is questionable."

"Heh… yeah. Well, you didn't have to avoid me for much of a period of time. The song is only thirty seconds long."

"Okay, good."

"It's from some puppet musical I saw when I was a kid," she admitted. "Probably shouldn't have watched it. Not for kids."

"No, I know the one," said Rapunzel.

"Hey, I had to learn all the bad words sometime. It's true, you know, I didn't wear underwear today. Can you tell?" She turned and struck a pose, displaying her hips.

"Yeah, I can tell."

Rapunzel got into the bed, very deliberate in her every motion: propping up a pillow, sitting atop the blanket, delicately opening her book, and, after a moment's contemplation, crossing her legs.

"Did you just have a bath?" Anna said brightly.

"Sure did," said Rapunzel.

"How was it?"

"Incredibly relaxing. Got some reading in." She tapped her book cover and returned to reading.

"…Are you gonna take off your robe?"

"No, Anna. There's been enough nudity in this bedroom for my tastes. I'm gonna give sleeping in my robe or nightgown a try. You can do the same, or not, I'm not the boss of you, doesn't really matter."

"I still tempt you," Anna sang.

"Shut up, Anna."

Anna flinched away.

Rapunzel sighed. "I'm sorry. I just… I feel like I've failed as a woman. Like I can't share a bed with someone without something happening. It's stupid."

Anna chuckled and sat down in the bed beside her. "That's absurd. Look, I really don't care anymore about… the weird thing. The making out. I feel like it's become routine… comforting… and isn't it nice to have someone who'll hold you whenever you ask to be held? Isn't it, though?"

"Of course it is, but we don't have to make out. It's a disgrace to gay women, to straight women, anyone non-incestuous really…"

"Oh, come on, you're not giving anyone a bad name," said Anna.

"Or maybe even _them_ , because we're not even being incestuous properly, we're totally half-assing it…"

"Punzie," Anna said firmly, "don't be ridiculous. Nobody's reputation or honor is at stake here. Nobody knows about this."

" _I_ know about it!" Rapunzel said viciously. "And I feel ashamed."

"You don't have to—"

"Don't tell me how to feel, Anna!"

Anna went silent, and Rapunzel glared at her book, fuming. After a moment, Anna retreated to the closet again and returned in a nightgown, creeping to the bed as quietly as possible and getting under the covers while trying not to disturb Rapunzel's side of the bed, tucking herself in so only her head and fingertips were visible. She tried not to move for a few moments, but couldn't stop herself from staring at Rapunzel.

"This nightgown is really uncomfortable," she finally said, unable to stop herself. "I was sleeping in it like a week ago, but now I barely can. I really came to enjoy sleeping naked…"

"If you can't sleep in your nightgown, don't," Rapunzel said calmly. "I probably can't either. I'm just _trying_ to set a tiny boundary between us."

"Okay," said Anna, looking Rapunzel over. "Well, I'll try my best. Hey… you're wearing slippers!"

"Not technically real shoes," Rapunzel said hastily, smirking. "I have _some_ courtesy. I didn't want to track water all over your castle."

"You coulda used a towel," Anna muttered wryly.

"I like to air dry."

Anna tentatively reached out and touched Rapunzel's hair, which was damp and puffy. Rapunzel's face softened and she let out a giggle. Thrilled, Anna sat up.

"Whatcha reading?" she asked, as perky as though nothing had happened. "Have you given up on Marvel? Because _Legend of Thor: Realm of Shadows_ wasn't any good?"

"No, I held out hope that it was a fluke," said Rapunzel. "And it was. _The Ice Assassin_ —friggin' fantastic political thriller. The Captain is just the best character…"

"What's this, then?" said Anna, trying to read the book's spine.

" _Lords of the Milky Way_. It actually is the next book in the series. It's all new characters in a totally new setting, but it's still… well, sort of the _same_ setting, I guess. It's very different, and funny, I like it a lot."

Anna leaned her head on Rapunzel's shoulder.

"…Hi, Anna," Rapunzel said affectionately.

"Have you heard anything about what people are saying about Elsa?" Anna said quietly. "You know, now that she's outed herself to everyone…"

"No, I haven't heard anything yet," said Rapunzel. "But it's only the first day. A history-making day, regardless. We'll find out soon."

Rapunzel closed the book and set it aside, turning to face Anna, who balked. The two of them simply stared into each other's eyes for several seconds.

"Hold me, Anna," Rapunzel said softly.

"What?"

"Hold me."

Anna did so, wrapping her arms around Rapunzel tenderly.

"It _is_ nice," said Rapunzel, "to have someone who'll do that when I'm upset."

"Even if it's the person you're upset with?"

"Well, even when you're upsetting me… and even though you've changed, you haven't. You're still you."

"Eeee," Anna cooed. "My gosh, you smell so good… it's intoxicating."

Anna deeply inhaled the scent of Rapunzel's neck, before touching it with her lips and eventually, nibbling on it.

"Quit it," said Rapunzel, laughing uncontrollably.

Anna complied, immediately withdrawing.

"…Okay, don't quit it," Rapunzel submitted. "I can't quit you."

The two of them seized each other and kissed deeply. One of Rapunzel's hands instantly shot to Anna's nightgown and began unbuttoning it. Anna in response grabbed Rapunzel's robe in both hands and opened it. Gasping excitedly, Rapunzel pulled the robe all the way off.

Anna opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of Rapunzel's foot emerging from one of her slippers as Rapunzel coiled up to tightly embrace her.

Anna involuntarily threw her head back, gasping blissfully three times in quick succession before collapsing atop her pillow, eyes half-open and fluttering.

She came out of her reverie to see Rapunzel staring at her in disgust. Silence hung over them for a minute.

"Okay, we're done for tonight," said Rapunzel, returning aggressively to her book.

"I'm sorry," Anna whimpered, holding herself protectively.

Rapunzel, finding herself unable to focus on the book, scoffed and turned her eyes to the ceiling. "Please tell me you didn't seriously just have an orgasm."

"Sorry," Anna said again. "It happens sometimes, sometimes just by seeing or thinking something sexy unexpectedly. Just little, quick ones, I need direct stimulation for a real good big—well, you don't wanna hear about it."

"Nope," Rapunzel agreed.

"Nope."

Rapunzel slowly turned the page. "It sounds nice," she finally said.

"It _is_ nice," Anna said, suddenly chipper again. "You know? I can be just walking along down the hallways, lost in thought, and then suddenly I come to my senses and realize, hey, this is the corridor with the marble statue of that really buff Greek guy, and I know that because it's unexpectedly right in front of me, and he's such a fox, and then, pop! Orgasm."

"You are a very lucky girl."

"Yup."

Rapunzel shifted nervously. "So… my foot, huh? That does it for you?"

"You have really pretty feet," Anna said sweetly.

"Goodnight, Anna," Rapunzel said pointedly, slipping underneath the covers.

Anna pouted. "Goodnight, Punzie. I love you."

Rapunzel said nothing.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Seriously, I have no idea if this subplot has completely killed the story. HELP ME.


	37. Day 23

**AN:** Trying to avoid the _My Immortal_ route of visibly losing my mind as the story progresses, but I can't really help it, this story truly is kinda driving me crazy the way no previous story I've written ever has, because never before have I written a story whose reception felt like _absolute forced isolation_.

Anyway, posted three chapters today. I'm sure no one will notice. But I think this is a good one. One I'm pretty proud of, it really started from nothing, but I developed it into some pretty nice moments, I think. A tender conversation I came up with when I was at work, I always get great ideas there when I'm just doing my daily tasks and there's nothing out there to distract me, and I was able to include a bit inspired by one of the reviews of the story, which I love doing but is a difficult prospect at the moment.

 **Day 23**

Kai led two people down a hall to the throne room, a middle-aged blonde woman and balding man, both dressed in elaborate attire that was a low-budget attempt at high society.

"Queen Elsa will see you now," he told them, pushing open the large double doors.

Elsa sat on the throne, her head thrown backward in a slack-jawed, blissful expression as Merida knelt before her, head buried between Elsa's legs.

At the sound of the door opening, Elsa's eyes far too slowly turned downward to see the visitors, and it took her another second to jump in surprise and shriek, "OH MY GOSH!"

Merida hastily removed herself from inside of Elsa's dress and sat down in the little chair set beside the throne.

"Kai," Elsa said casually, leaning back and smoothing out her dress. "What, um, what news?"

"You might want to…" Merida muttered to her.

"Oh. Right." Elsa promptly crossed her legs. "So, what's… up?"

"The gentleman and lady from the orphanage are here for their appointment, your majesty," said Kai.

"Oh… gosh, I'm sorry, I thought they wouldn't be showing up until four o'clock."

"It _is_ four o'clock, your majesty."

"Oh," Elsa said for the third time. "Really?" She turned to Merida, thrilled. "We've been here forty minutes? How the heck do you do that?"

"Lots of aerobic activity—massive lung capacity," Merida said modestly. "And of course there's no sense being good at it if you don't love what you do…"

Elsa chuckled. "Right. What were we—oh, yes, the orphanage… heads. Heads of the orphanage. Hi there. You know Princess Merida, right? Or know _of_ her? My fr—sorry. My girlfriend. 'Lover', I guess, if you don't mind quibbling over… terminology. But like… lover _in addition_ to girlfriend."

"We've been over this," said Merida.

"I know," Elsa said breezily, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "So, our actual conference… Yes. Uh, Mer, baby, could you…?"

"Right away."

Merida jumped off her chair, picked up Elsa's panties from the middle of the floor, and returned to her seat, stowing them somewhere within her dress.

"Anyway…" said Elsa. "Thank you, Kai, you may go."

He did, sweeping out of the room in what seemed to be quite the hurry.

"So… yeah," said Elsa. "My sister and I have taken an interest in getting more involved with Arendelle's orphanages, both in funding and direct involvement."

"Well, the children already love you, your majesty," the woman said promptly.

"Heh… I can never hear that enough times," Elsa said wryly.

"Have you ever thought of adoption yourself, majesty?" the man asked.

"What?" said Elsa, recoiling.

"Well, I only thought, I assume you won't be having any children of your own, if you and Princess Merida are planning…"

Merida reached out with one leg and wrapped it around Elsa's.

"I… we haven't discussed it," said Elsa, starting to sweat.

"What a thought, to be adopted by a queen," said Merida, winking at her.

"I don't think we're quite there yet," said Elsa, quavering. "But I do have every desire to make life as wonderful as possible for… well, _all_ the orphans. You know, just…" She briefly lost her train of thought as Merida continued to paw at her feet. "Er, the whole household experience. A lot can be said for good food and warm beds, and that's absolutely the first thing we'll cover. But then we'll… uh, what do you call it… what was I talking about? I'm distracted. Babe, enough with the footsie, please…"

Merida withdrew, giggling, and Elsa blew her a kiss.

"You know, Queen Elsa, I daresay the children will be as fond of your girlfriend as they are you and your sister," the woman offered.

"Yeah?" Merida said eagerly. "Want me to go down there, hang out?"

"Yes, that was it," Elsa said suddenly. "As much… feeling of family as the children can possibly get. Anna and I wanted to… and of course Merida too, and Rapunzel while she's here, we'll… we'll all…" She blushed. "We have a busy schedule. I have so much to do, it's been an extremely stressful process trying to find the time for important… things. I have a lot of things to cram into very little time. I mean, just for example, you just walked in on me having sex in the throne room at four in the afternoon."

Elsa covered her face and pulled her feet up onto the throne.

"Babe, you're…" Merida warned.

"Goddamn it." Elsa lowered her legs back onto the floor, smoothed out her dress while seething a bit about how short it was, and crossed her legs again. "I'm appropriate for children, I swear to God."

"We know, Princess."

"I'm the _queen_ , miss."

"Sorry, your majesty."

Elsa turned to Merida. "Why do people keep forgetting that I'm the queen, not a princess?"

"You're young and hot," Merida said simply.

"Young and hot, right," said Elsa. "But I'm safe for kids."

"What you do in the safety of your castle is your own business," the man assured her. "We trust you'll be child-friendly when you visit the orphanage."

"And I can bring my girlfriend?" Elsa said cautiously.

"I don't see why not."

Elsa turned to Merida, grinning in astonishment.

"Reception's going great," said Merida, leaning forward to tickle Elsa.

Elsa giggled and took a deep breath, turning back to the visitors. "So, okay, my priority right now… is to schedule as much orphanage time as possible, months in advance, maybe years, to… make sure the children don't miss us among… everything else we've got to do."

"I think that's a wonderful idea, your majesty," the woman said tenderly. "We'll… get the calendar."

~0~0~0~

"Well, that went well," said Merida, as the two of them swept back into Elsa's bedroom.

"I don't wanna talk about it, just… strip," said Elsa, wiping sweat off her face with a handkerchief and slamming the door noisily. "My God, that was stressful. I mean, it was wonderful, but… so stressful. And I don't want to see a stitch of clothing until I've had a good night's sleep." With a violent, sawing gesture, her dress magically split in two, leaving her naked.

Merida laughed. "You're so fab. Hang on, I've gotta do it the hard way…" She set to unlacing her dress little by little.

Elsa gently waved one hand, and a gust of icy wind knocked Merida off her feet, flinging her onto the bed, flat on her back. Another gust lifted Elsa into the air, where she gently landed atop Merida.

"My Merida," Elsa cooed, kissing her passionately.

Merida reached up to place her hands on Elsa's back, and Elsa could feel them quivering.

"Merida, you're shaking," Elsa said softly. "You're still nervous about this?"

"So are you," Merida said defensively.

"Well, yeah," said Elsa, her lips trembling, "but I'm still new to this. You've been with dozens of girls."

"Yes," Merida whispered, "but no one as amazing as you."

"Oh, that is such a cheesy come-on…"

"I'm not being cheesy, Elsa. I mean it."

Elsa thought of that as she loomed over Merida, scrutinizing her face. "…You want me to help you out of that dress?"

"While I keep talking? Sure."

Elsa backed away so Merida could sit up, and immediately set to unlacing Merida's dress.

"Sure," Merida went on, "have I slept with every female in Castle DunBroch between the ages of thirteen and nineteen? Probably. Am I proud of that? Yeah, absolutely. But here's the thing, see: when you put together the entire population of any given place, do you know what your odds are of finding anyone as beautiful as you, Elsa? Or as kind as you, as intelligent as you? Slim to none. There aren't a lot of people like you. As you may have noticed being queen and all, when you're in the position we're in where you have to listen to absolutely everyone, you find most people are jerks and idiots. You have uncommon gifts, quite apart from the snowy stuff, and you _are_ … an uncommon gift to the world."

Elsa gently ran a finger down Merida's now-exposed sternum and abdomen. "Oh, come on, now, Merida. I like to think everyone is beautiful and special in their own way."

"And you are, at that," said Merida. "But you're also beautiful and special in the regular way. You know that, don't you? I'm thinkin' you should own it. What I'm saying is… what intimidates me now that never did before is that, well… see, here's the thing: objectively, I'm probably the most attractive woman in DunBroch."

"I don't doubt that," said Elsa. "You're stunning. Don't you remember what I said when we first met?"

"I do," said Merida. "And I thank you, and as I said, I own it. I'm beautiful and I know it. And I like to think I'm a fairly decent person on the inside as well. You know, passable. But when I stand next to you, in comparison? I'm _nothing_."

"Mer…"

"That's why you still make my hands tremble, my darling," said Merida, cupping Elsa's face. "Because I've never even _imagined_ anyone like you, much less had an experience with her."

Elsa smiled. "I still think you're a silver-tongued charlatan who just wants to butter me up, but you know what, I'll take it, because it's _worth_ it, and I _like_ it. Whether we're just hanging out or kissing, whether you're talking about the future you want with me or making my body erupt with pleasure, it's all… so good."

"Oh, lass…"

Merida slipped out of her dress and leaned back again. Elsa pulled the dress the rest of the way off, and loomed over Merida once again.

"Hey, babe," said Merida.

"Hi," Elsa whispered, as they simply stared at each other, grinning.

"You know who else is uncommonly beautiful?" Merida said conversationally. "Your freakin' relatives. My life has become a total babe-a-thon. They just don't make 'em like that in DunBroch."

"Anna and Rapunzel are really pretty."

"Alas, I can look but I can't touch. Much. Not that that's a problem. You're twice as beautiful as either one of them, my love… you're a goddess."

Elsa blushed. Before she could respond, Merida sat up suddenly.

"Say, what if you actually _are_ a goddess?" she said eagerly. "I mean, if your powers are as limitless as they seem…"

"I am _not_ a goddess!" Elsa said frantically. "I'm a sorceress. Big difference. Huge."

"Ach, who's to say that the gods weren't just really powerful and good-looking sorcerers? That's what the Marvel books say."

"It's… not for me. I can't make that claim."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Okay, I'll be back next week, with just one chapter. From there, any further updating will be… conditional.


	38. Day 24

**AN:** Hey, I'm back. 'Sup?

Am I talking to anyone at this point? I'm trying not to be bitter. Truly, I am. But let's be real: I haven't heard from anyone since 19 chapters ago. That's not normal. That is a "tempted to slit my wrists" level of not normal. I'm dead serious. Not the first time I've felt so invisible that I wanted to kill myself… that's basically been a biweekly occurrence for over a decade… but I haven't done it yet and I'm not gonna do it now. I've found a better way to deal with this. Please see the _other_ AN at the end of this chapter.

 **Day 24**

A ship arrived in Corona, the island nation towering, glorious, and inviting as ever.

Some minutes after the ship docked, Eugene emerged from the cabin, carrying his luggage, waving off guards who offered to take it for him.

Promptly, he found himself face to face with Pascal, the tiny chameleon standing on a mast at his eye level.

"Hey, froggles," Eugene said brightly.

Pascal frowned at him suspiciously, looking around.

"Rapunzel isn't with me," he said calmly.

Pascal gaped.

"Stayed in Arendelle," he said. "I'll tell you in a minute, I don't much like listening to myself talk."

Pascal looked skeptical.

"I don't like _repeating_ myself," Eugene amended. "If I told you now, I'd have to find a way to completely rephrase the story once Mom and Dad asked me about it. So, let's go find them, shall we?"

Reluctantly, Pascal submitted, and took his invited spot on Eugene's shoulder.

They travelled for some time, through the usual sights and sounds of Corona, the busy rush of workers and shoppers unusually cheerful, even serene.

~0~0~0~

Eugene found the king and queen on the castle balcony, overlooking the kingdom. He came up behind them, keeping his distance.

"Hey," he said quietly.

They turned to him, and the queen promptly broke out in a grin. "Eugene!" she said, rushing forward and embracing him. "Here, let me take some of that off your hands."

"Thanks, Arianna," he muttered, allowing her to heft some of his luggage. "You don't have to…"

"I can handle it," she said, winking at him.

"Thanks," Eugene said wearily. "Hey, Fr—sir."

"Eugene," the king replied. "Where is…?"

He trailed off as Pascal loudly jumped from Eugene's shoulder to the floor with a surprisingly loud smack, and scampered away.

"Rapunzel," Eugene finished. "She… decided to stay in Arendelle, just for a while."

Arianna raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Staying? For how long?"

"I… I'm not sure," said Eugene. "A couple of months, at least."

The king's hands shook, and his voice quavered. "But… but she was supposed to come back… she was supposed to be _right_ back…"

"Oh… sir…" Eugene said, reaching out a comforting hand, but withdrawing it before he made contact, unsure of what to do with it. "It's okay. She just… wanted to get to know the cousins better."

Arianna lit up. "Of course… Anna has always been a very spirited… excitable… well, you can't help falling in love with her."

"That's about the shape of it," Eugene mumbled. "I won't go into the specifics… in fact, I'd rather be deliberately evasive about them, all things considered. Anyway, I'll just… be on my way…"

Eugene turned to leave and found himself face to face with Maximus. Pascal sat atop the horse's head, and both of them glared at Eugene harshly.

"Really, fellas?" he said wearily. "Two years we've known each other. The open hostility is getting real old."

They didn't falter.

"F… M… L," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "It's all right. She'll be back before you know it. She just… needs more time with her cousins. They get along."

He smiled warmly at them, and Maximus's scowl deepened.

"Goodbye," Eugene said firmly, turning on his heel to walk back to his chambers.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** And now comes the story's first proper time skip—which is to say, instead of the next chapter being Day 25, it'll be Day 30. From now on, not every day in the lives of the princesses will be depicted.

And, sad to say, I think there'll have to be a time skip in my updating as well. I've been really quite depressed, by life in general. And the fact that I have absolutely no idea what anybody thinks of fifty percent of this story, well, that hasn't helped. I thought this would be something new and invigorating and exciting that lots of people would want to look at, not the single most lackluster reception I've received in a lifetime of lackluster receptions.

So, I'm going to choose to be a diva here. I'm going to do something I've never done before, and refuse to update until I receive a certain number of reviews. I'll continue working on the story, of course, to make sure that updates come more efficiently when they do, but I won't update until this story has a total of 114 reviews.

Why 114? Because that's three times as many reviews as this story has chapters. As most stories on this site have at least five times as many, it seems fair. All it would take is for three people to tell me what they think of each individual chapter. I know seven people follow this story, I'm sure three of them can do that much. That's the bare minimum that most people get, three reviews per chapter. Why do I have to _ask_ for it? Most people ask for ten. And get it.

Am I not bad enough, is that the problem? Do people only review to point out glaring grammatical mistakes, leaving me screwed because I never make those? Whatever. Add 78 reviews to my current total, and this story will continue. If not, the hundreds of pages of story ideas I've developed over the past year will never see the light of day, so if you have _any_ interest in seeing that, if you're not _wholly_ satisfied with what this story's been so far, please contribute to the review count. I do mean it, I've got a lot of things to do, so I can wait as many years as it takes to hit that 114. Don't expect me to be spurred to action by the release of _Frozen 2_ or anything like that.

The ball is now firmly in the audience's court. Let's see how that goes.


	39. Day 30

**AN:** Okay, we're back. It is now August. It's been about eight months since my last update. Haven't gotten to 114 yet, but I _did_ just hit 100 and two of my readers have finished with Book One, so that seemed like a celebratory milestone. The story's not back completely, just for this one chapter. For the milestone, _and_ for some things I need to get off my chest. See the endnote for those.

I'll update again when I have 114 _and_ at least one person has reviewed every single chapter. Sorry for moving the goalposts, it's just that I realized it wouldn't be much fun to update if, say, lots of early chapters had four or five reviews but _no one_ has actually gotten to the current chapter of the story yet.

 **Day 30**

As soon as Elinor's ship came within sight of DunBroch, war drums and horns began playing to herald her arrival.

There on the docks was the massive Bear King, standing alone and waving a huge flag to catch her attention.

Soon, she was descending the gangplank, and before she even reached the dock, Fergus had tossed his flag aside and picked her up effortlessly, twirling her around and pelting her face with bristly kisses.

"Ah, darling… it's just so great to see you again," he said tenderly. Setting her down, he looked up over her head at the ship, and then all around. "Och, where's Merida?"

Elinor's eyes went dull, and she didn't answer.

"Elinor?" Fergus said fearfully.

"I… I hardly know where to begin…" she stammered.

"Did somethin' happen?"

"Aye, Fergus, something happened," Elinor breathed. "Something wonderful."

"Wonderful?" he said, alarmed.

"Merida is… she… well, she went and fell in love with the queen of Arendelle."

Fergus gaped. "In love? Merida? No! It can't be."

"It can," Elinor said, choked up. "They're courting, and Merida intends to stay there forever."

Fergus slowly smiled. "Well… imagine that!"

~0~0~0~

They walked back to the castle, mostly alone with their entourage of guards following a significant distance behind.

"The Queen of Arendelle," Fergus marveled. "What's she like? She's older, ain't she?"

"She's twenty-three."

"Ooh," Fergus said appreciatively. "And are the stories true that she's some sort of enchantress? I believe in magic now, obviously, but people are still full of tall tales, you know."

"She is a sorceress," said Elinor, "with the power to create ice and snow out of nothing. It's quite beautiful, actually."

They made their way indoors, and soon reached their bedroom, where Fergus promptly spun around and sat on their bed, clasping his hands in his lap like a schoolboy. "Tell me more."

Elinor pondered it as she approached her embroidery, left exactly as it was when she had left it, and gently ran her fingers all up and down the tapestry before speaking.

"She's tall," she mused. "Pale as any human being you've ever seen—skin as white as the snow she weaves with white-gold hair to match. Big blue eyes that just dazzle. And in the face, almost as beautiful as Merida herself… almost."

"But not quite, of course," Fergus chuckled.

"Of course."

"What else?" Fergus said eagerly.

"Hrmm…" Elinor said thoughtfully. "She's respectably buxom, her hips don't lie, and she wears dresses that fit her like a second skin, showing off every inch of that figure. Merida tells me they're woven from ice, though it's beyond me how she makes ice in so many different colors, or into a cape that looks more like gossamer." She wiggled her figures in imitation of a magical gesture. "Sorcery, I guess. And I've seen her hair in a couple of styles, but she seems to favor a French braid."

"She sounds lovely."

"Meh, she wears a _lot_ of makeup," Elinor said dismissively. "But she is. Very lovely. She and Merida began their courtship on the third day we were there… and if you believe it, Merida didn't bed her until the night before I departed."

"Nay!" Fergus gasped, so alarmed that he stood up and staggered toward her.

"I swear," said Elinor, raising one hand. "I was with them almost that whole two weeks, and on my final morning there, that was the morning after their first time, I'm sure of it from the way they stood together. Merida was even trying to act as thought they _hadn't_ gone to bed together."

"That doesn't sound like Merida at all," Fergus muttered. "That's big. It sounds like Merida's quite serious about this."

Tears welled up in Elinor's eyes as she gazed into her husband's face. "Fergus, our daughter is going to be the queen of Arendelle before the year is out," she said. "The… _other_ queen, if you will."

"How incredible."

"You have no idea. Fergus, last time I saw her, she was wearing blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow."

At that, Fergus had to sit back down. "She's never done that in her life. Who's she trying to impress?"

"Herself, I think," said Elinor. "She just wants to match the artistry of the way Elsa presents herself, I think. Elsa, as I said, wears a lot of makeup too. She's quite glamorous. Merida doesn't want to come across as butch by comparison, I think."

"Aye, she's always tried not to look butch," Fergus muttered. "Easy enough around here, but I guess, but I suppose elsewhere… och, lass, you weren't even gone for a month. How does a girl like Merida fall in love and want to stay in a new kingdom so quickly?"

"Elsa is an amazing woman," Elinor said passionately. "Merida would do anything for her." She reached out and cupped Fergus's face in her hands. "Never fear. She's still herself. Still honest."

She hugged him. "Oh, Fergus… it may have taken me a bit too long, but you and I, we did right by her."

Fergus embraced her. "I love you, lassie."

"I love you too, my king."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** There was a small bit of drama regarding this story in the interim, while I was waiting to return. One of my friends recommended _Princess Party_ to some people as a story about the friendship between women, and the first person who followed up on that recommendation couldn't get through it because, as they outlined in an 11-point list covering Day 1 alone, they felt I was depicting Merida as an unrepentant rapist.

I'm not going to deny or defend that my interpretation of Merida is guilty of several rather serious counts of sexual assault. That is true and that is bad. It's not new information to me. It was the entire idea. Many people throughout history and still today are unaware that actions such as those Merida has taken are sexual assault. And while sexual assault in most fiction is shorthand for being unforgivable, I don't see that as justified, especially as a lot of fiction portrays _any_ other crime, up to and including mass murder, as something that can be swept under the rug when someone "changes sides".

I wanted to depict a character who, upon realizing that what she's doing is wrong, seeks to take responsibility and make it right again, to change. This was Merida's character arc in _Brave_ ; as such, I feel I'm depicting her as she would be if her sexuality, a non-issue in the film, was an aspect of her character, regardless of what precisely that sexuality was. I find, as the writer, that it's quite observable in the text that every time Merida is informed that what she's doing is wrong, she is horrorstruck and strives to never do it again. Gift baskets are poor restitution, but what else can you do? The assault-y tones that accompany Merida in this story all but disappear after Day 1, as a deliberate piece of character development.

I never confronted the person who gave that scathing critique. I knew when I came up with the story's concept that the things they were saying were things that I was at risk of making readers think, so I expended a lot of effort into making sure that the things the plot points could potentially be _mistaken_ for (Merida forcing her servant girls into sex, wanting to marry Elsa only to sleep with her, or sexually assaulting Elsa in the hallway) were _not_ what was happening. I'm saddened that despite my conscious efforts this person interpreted these events that way regardless. It's never fun when someone thinks so poorly of you. There's the urge to correct them, to try to make them see things your way. But I let it go. People believe what they believe. If you're here, you probably didn't interpret Day 1 that way and we're fine.

I've done bad things myself in my foolish youth that I can't forgive myself for, nor even build up the courage to see if the people involved have forgiven me, so forgiveness—and sincere remorse on the part of the perpetrator—is kind of a motif in my writing, something I hold very dear. To that end, I've just altered a few chapters where I took it too far, where I made some jokes that, on second look, were quite tasteless. My apologies to anyone who may have happened to see them. I made a mistake. They're gone and/or different now.

So, yeah, I had to say that. And celebrate the milestone. Sorry for the overlong note, but it definitely had to be said. You understand.


	40. Day 31, Part 1

**AN:** Welcome back. It is now February, the story has been on hiatus for over a year, but all criteria has been met. It is time to resume telling the story.

You'd think that after a year I'd have a respectable buffer of chapters built up, and it was certainly my intention to do so, but… no. I only have a few chapters ready to go. But, I'll be shooting for weekly updates from now on. Not promising them, just… I'll try. So, here it is. _Princess Party_ has returned.

 **Day 31, Part 1**

Rapunzel leaned against a wall of Anna's bedroom, reading. Anna emerged from her closet, smoothing out a thin and glossy brown dress she had just put on.

"Can you see my nipples through this dress?" she asked abruptly. "Just from where you're standing?"

Rapunzel looked up, bewildered. "Um… no?" she said uncertainly.

"Really?" Anna said anxiously. "How about when you come a little closer?"

Rapunzel took a few steps toward Anna. "Ah, _there_ they are," she said.

Anna gave a thoughtful assessment to the distance between Rapunzel and herself. "Hmm… okay. Not obvious enough. Better try something else." She ducked back into her closet.

"So what we're going for is being able to see your nipples _from a distance_ , then," Rapunzel said dryly.

"I _just_ want to be sexy," Anna said firmly, stripping off the brown dress and searching for another. "I like being sexy, you know? Even if it's just something as simple as wearing frilly underwear that no one actually finds out about, it makes me feel suave and confident that whole day. And if I'm gonna have sex… and we're talking pre-meditated, well-planned-in-advance sex… I am not gonna start that day in just any dress. It's gonna be in a dress that tells Kristoff and God and whoever else is watching, 'Hey. I want some.'"

Rapunzel laughed. "Well… if you're getting your flames quenched by Kristoff today, I assume you and I will _not_ be making out tonight?"

"Well… I want to say no, but… at this point, I think we both know that we never plan for it to happen more than one second before it actually does…"

"Yeah," Rapunzel agreed grimly.

Anna returned, carrying a green dress in her hands. "Look… we know perfectly well we can't keep this up. Are you sure you don't want to try sleeping somewhere else? Your old room is still free."

Rapunzel hesitated, her eyes scanning Anna's body, clad only in brief, powder-blue panties. "I… I can't sleep alone, Anna. I just can't. The unstoppable urge to make out with each other that we have, it bothers me, yes, but… that doesn't mean that I'm not still crazy about you, because I am. I never want to be apart from you again. So, no, I can't sleep somewhere else."

Anna pouted. "You'll have to at some point. You _do_ have to go home."

"Well, I don't wanna think about that," Rapunzel mumbled.

Anna sniffled. "I love you, Punzie."

"Yeah, I… I love you too, An." Rapunzel coughed and cleared her throat. "So… how's your second choice of dress?"

"Oh, this?" said Anna. "Well, it's… green."

"Really?" Rapunzel said wryly.

Anna giggled as she began unfolding the dress again. "Well, yeah. It's also strapless… shows off my hips. And it comes with accessories, see, it's sort of got this spring theme…"

She pulled the dress over her head and slipped into it, revealing it to be lined with a three-dimensional leaf pattern. Only then did Rapunzel notice the headband and wristbands, also covered in leaves and flowers, as Anna put them on.

"Shoes?" Rapunzel inquired.

"None that specifically match the theme, but… I have green shoes," said Anna, shrugging as she snapped on the second wristband. She faced Rapunzel with the same inquiring expression. "Nipples?"

"Clear as day."

"Awesome."

They beamed at each other, until their faces fell as one.

"Punzie…" Anna muttered. "I'm gonna miss you when you go."

"We belong in different places," Rapunzel said softly. "And we can't visit those places without a week of sailing… kind of a bother. I don't mean to be a downer. My point is… as much as I miss my husband, it's going to be hard to leave you. Because you're an awesome friend."

Anna pulled Rapunzel close, and they kissed tenderly, briefly, before parting with expressions of regret and guilt.

"Well…" Anna said with a sigh. "I'm gonna go bang my boyfriend. Love you." She turned to go.

"Love you more, Anna."

Anna turned back around, squealing in delight at Rapunzel's reply. "Eeee!"

~0~0~0~

"Anna!"

Anna turned. Elsa waved to her and made her way through a gathering of cooks making their way through the hallway, stopping when she reached Anna.

"Hey, where are you headed?" Elsa asked.

"I'm heading to Kristoff's room," said Anna, nodding in that direction. "You?"

"Well, I was on my way to lunch," said Elsa. "Then I spotted you."

"Small world," said Anna. "Castle. Small castle. We're always running into each other. You'd think we'd run into _other_ people repeatedly."

"I'm sure we do," said Elsa. "It's just… you and me stand out a bit more. Everyone else wears a uniform."

"Mm, true dat. What can I do for you, Els?"

"Oh, I… I just wanted to see if you'd already had lunch, see if you wanted to join me. But you're already going somewhere, so… never mind me."

"Okie-dokie," said Anna, beaming. "I'm gonna eat lunch… after." She winked.

Elsa looked her over. "My God… where do you _get_ all these slutty dresses?"

"Well… most of them are Mom's, believe it or not," said Anna, shrugging. "Ghosty nipples through the fabric were really in style when she was growing up. Maybe I can bring that style back."

"Perhaps," Elsa agreed. "Mmm, Merida's got a dress like that. So tight you can see every contour…"

Anna beamed. "Will you bring it back too? You know all the ladies in Arendelle are always taking style tips from you."

"Oh, _all_ my clothes are that thin," said Elsa, shrugging and looking away shyly. "But even when I'm not wearing a cami, you can only really see them when I'm excited."

Anna glanced down, then back at Elsa's face with a mischievous grin. "Do I excite you, big sister?"

"What?" said Elsa, looking down at her chest. "Oh, goddamn it. No, of course you don't. But you ooze sex… every time you're running off to fool around with Kristoff, it's infectious, I want to take Merida into a broom closet too. I mean, hopefully not the _same_ broom closet you're in."

"Well, of course. Speaking of… do you mind? I mean, I hate to be rude and rush off, but I kind of have an appointment to get laid. Like, we're really going all the way this time."

"Oh!" Elsa exclaimed. "Right, right… taking advantage of your 'safe days', aren't you? Well, that's good. That's very responsible."

Anna chuckled nervously. "Yup, that's me. Just super-responsible. Never did anything shady or risky on impulse or anything like that…"

"I'm proud of you, Anna," said Elsa. "And happy for you, because getting laid is _awesome_. In fact, I think I'm gonna go do the same. Because, see, I can go to bed with _my_ beau any time I want to, just on a whim, with very little regard as to where I am in my cycle, so, yeah, gonna do that."

"Meh!" Anna stuck her tongue out at Elsa.

"Yeah, just like that," said Elsa, waggling her own tongue suggestively.

"Oh, you are filthy!" Anna giggled.

"You're the one doing it with a man. If that's not dirty, I don't know what is."

They giggled as they walked on, continuing on their way.

"Love you!" Elsa called back to her.

"Love you too! Give it to her real good!"

"You bet."

~0~0~0~

Rapunzel wandered aimlessly through the castle, only tangentially making her way toward the dining hall, a book clutched to her chest.

"Hey, Punzie."

She stopped, and was joined by Merida, who greeted her with a lengthy caress from one elbow, to across her shoulders, down to the other elbow.

"Good to see you, cousin," Merida said tenderly. "Hmm, surely Anna can't be far behind?"

"I was just with her," said Rapunzel. "She's went off with Kristoff."

"Disconnected from her, for a change?" Merida teased.

Rapunzel shrugged. "We're… at the point where we need breaks from each other."

"Honeymoon's over, eh?"

"Let's not resort to that kind of terminology," Rapunzel said tersely. "Anyway, we part ways all the time for her various… _dalliances_ with Kristoff. Always running off to some broom closet or another."

"Ooooh!" said Merida, rubbing her hands together. "Is it that time again? …Have you and I been here for an entire month?"

"Well, gosh, I suppose we have," said Rapunzel.

"Mmm, it's flown by," Merida said dreamily. "And yet, I feel like I've been here all my life."

"Totally on board with you there," Rapunzel muttered. "Nonstop action… but, like, this is our life now. _You_ belong here. And I… don't."

Merida tilted her head. "Aw, Punzie… getting a wee bit homesick?"

"Getting a _lot_ homesick," Rapunzel admitted. "Mm… the time will come. I'll go home when I go home."

Merida put a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder. "Listen, lass… I'm very glad you're here. That you stayed. I enjoy your company. I like to hang around, chit-chat… we really gotta get more time together." She poked Rapunzel's chest. "I'm fond of you, short stuff. I'm gonna miss you when you're gone."

"Don't poke my boob," Rapunzel said irritably.

Elsa breezed around the corner, taking long, dreamlike strides as she approached.

"Hey, babe," she cooed, throwing her arms around Merida's waist. "Anna's having a little lunchtime lover's tryst with Kristoff. Want to outdo her?"

"Hahahahaha, just try and stop me!" Merida crowed.

"I'll… meet you back in the bedroom, then," said Elsa, pecking Merida on the lips before running off.

"Punzie, darling, mind if I duck out?" said Merida.

"By all means," said Rapunzel.

"You're a good lass, Punzie," Merida said, reaching out to fondle Rapunzel's bottom.

Rapunzel's hand shot out and grabbed one of Merida's fingers, bending it backward painfully. "Don't. Do. That," she growled.

"Ow! I—I'm sorry!" Merida cried out in alarm.

Rapunzel tossed Merida's hand aside, glaring at her. "Just think about what you're doing. If you were a man, that would be unacceptable."

"But I'm not," Merida said quietly. "It _is_ different. Isn't it? I thought… as a friend…"

Rapunzel sighed. "Of course you're my friend, Merida. Just don't touch me like that."

"Okay," Merida muttered, gazing at her injured finger.

"You can do it to Anna," Rapunzel said dismissively. "She likes it, she appreciates the attention. It's just… not for me. It's not for _most_ people. Anna, as we all know, is a funny egg…"

"Mm, I love that funny egg," Merida said affectionately.

"Sorry about that," Rapunzel said sheepishly. "How's the finger?"

Merida shrugged. "It hurts, but I'll be okay. I'm a tough broad. I won't be playing the violin anytime soon, but that's more because I don't know how to play it."

Rapunzel guffawed. "You're so… I _adore_ you. We've gotta hang out more."

"For sure," said Merida. "But not right now, I'm gonna go have sex with Elsa. And I can say that openly, right out here in the hallway… Elsa's cool with it, most people seem to be cool with it, I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it. It is so very refreshing. See you at dinner?"

"See you," Rapunzel muttered. "Don't put too much strain on that finger."

"Oh, don't even worry about that. I have many other tools."

"I'll bet you do."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** So, if you've been following along… yeah. Things have kind of stagnated in this story, a little bit. I realize that. Part of that is a natural pitfall of the day-by-day style of formatting chapters. Mostly it's because I've had no one to review the story, to tell me when I'm screwing up, to offer up ideas of what they'd like to see. That's what happens.

The slice-of-life rom-com is not going to remain the format of the story forever. That's only half of the story. They'll always come back to the mundane life and relationship stuff, but soon that'll all be interspersed with… adventures. Good ones, I think. Just my opinion. It'll happen.

Honestly, at this point I expect that Books One and Two will end up as my "early work" that I'll be ashamed of in later years. I mean, yeah, it was probably a big misstep to imply in the very first chapter that Merida was guilty of using her position as a superior to coax many people into sex. Personally, I _don't_ think that's true, I think everyone Merida's been with has been interested in experimenting with her, but the fact that Elinor suspects it and the possibility of that interpretation never occurred to Merida… a misstep. For sure.

And all the cousins-making-out stuff, well, that just makes me feel like I ruined the whole story after some people, so late to catching up to the story, celebrated it as a good example of a story of friendship between women.

Live and learn. I'm not going to retroactively edit the story, just learn from it. If I'm not proud of Books One and Two in the future, I hope I'm proud of Book Three onward.


	41. Day 31, Part 2

**AN:** So, well… I finished massage school in the intervening year, but I did not end up becoming a massage therapist. Couldn't pass my license exam. Kept on studying for it… no good. I don't remember one single thing about massage. So, I'm starting over, working at my aunt's restaurant, hopefully find something I'm actually capable of. My hopes aren't high. I've lost my ability to drive, to talk to people, to remember things… just waiting for my inevitable death, really.

 **Day 31, Part 2**

"Oh, _Merida_ …" Elsa gasped.

"That's right, say my name."

"Mmm… Merida Merida Merida Merida Merida Merida…"

"Ah, my darling, that's what I like to hear."

"Unnnh! My God, Merida, can't you slow down a _little_?"

She waited a moment, and gasped.

"Oh! Oh my God… you _can_ slow down a little… OHHH! Ohhh, Merida, you're making me crazy…"

"Well! I guess slow and steady wins the race."

"Unnh… Merida, you're… unh… an amazing lover, but… unh… your dirty talk is so cheeseball."

"All right, I won't talk. How about a little of this?"

"HAAAA! How do you do that?! You… must… be… an angel… ahhhhhh."

Merida smiled. "That… was adorable. You done?"

"Yeah. That one killed me. I can die now. I'm dead. Hahahahaha…"

"Damn, I'm good," Merida said smugly.

"Your turn," said Elsa, abruptly sitting up and tackling Merida.

"EEEP!"

~0~0~0~

In Kristoff's room, he lay down on his bed, Anna straddling him as they kissed passionately.

"So," he mumbled into her mouth, "out of curiosity, what happened to doing it in your room?"

"Well… Rapunzel's usually in my room," Anna said, shrugging. "Maybe I can kick her out tomorrow and we can get a whole day in there. My bed is _awesome_ , you'll love it."

"Sounds great," he said brightly. "…You okay?"

"Eeenh… still a bit edgy about our little slip-up the other week, but, like… we're good. I won't sweat it. I won't."

Scooting her way up his body until her legs were wrapped around his chest instead of his waist, she pulled off the leafy green dress, her bare, freckled breasts filling his field of vision.

"I never get tired of that," he said with relish.

"No, of course not," she said brightly, bending down to kiss him on the nose.

She pulled off his shoes, holding her breath; at the sight of his large, calloused feet, her face fell. Shrugging it off, she peeled off his shirt and ran her hands all up and down his chest.

"Hmm…" she said, disappointed.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

She undid his trousers and pulled him out of them.

"Whoa," she exclaimed.

He grinned. "What's on your mind?"

"It's just… I get where Elsa's coming from, with the whole gay thing, but… it's not for me." She licked her lips. "Just the way life is for me, I guess. Elsa is queen, and gets all the cool ice magic, and likes women, just destined from birth to be objectively more interesting than me. I'm just like everybody else, just a footnote in the family tree, no unusual powers to speak of, and like most women, I prefer… _this_."

She reached out and grasped him with both hands. "I'm not bitter or anything," she said casually. "I love being me. I'm just as remarkable as Elsa is, just… in my own way. That's a healthy way to look at it, I guess…"

She was silent for a moment as she absently moved her hands up and down. "See, it's like… I'm me, right?" she said seriously, looking up at the ceiling. "And like… I'm not insecure or anything, everybody loves me, at least it sure seems that way. But is that, like, a real legacy? People liking me? See, I'm the 'spare', as they say. The second girl. Of course, most of my life I had way bigger things to worry about than being overshadowed by my sister, it was more like, am I ever gonna get a good look at her or have a conversation with her again, but now, yeah, now sometimes I wonder if people will love Elsa more than me. If history will know me as anything other than… her heir. Or the mother of her heir. Or whatever I end up being, because it's just never going to be as awesome as what Elsa is. It's all well and good for people to love me now, but what am I going to leave behind on this earth that people will still remember in fifty years, a hundred years, two hundred? Do you—do you know what I mean? You know what I mean, Kristoff?"

She looked at his face, and could see that, though he was trying desperately to focus on what she was saying, his comprehension was slipping, not helped by how her repetitive hand motion had been steadily increasing in speed over the course of her speech.

"Did I lose you?" she said, slowing down and loosening her grip. "Sorry. Wasn't saying anything important anyway." She tightened her hands again, giving him one last squeeze. "Okay, that'll be enough of that."

She leaned back, hastily relieving herself of her underwear, and climbed atop him. "You ready for this?" she whispered.

~0~0~0~

Rapunzel drained another wine glass, quickly refilling it from a bottle, all the while stuffing her face with strawberries.

"Hey."

Rapunzel looked up, irked. Merida and Elsa were joining her at the head table.

"Balanced lunch?" Elsa said dryly.

"Nyeh, mind your own business," Rapunzel grumbled. "Are you two back already?"

"Yeah, we're done," said Elsa, wrapping an arm around Merida's waist fondly. "We're… _really_ good at it."

"Well, yeah, but you're not gonna go again?" Rapunzel said blearily. "Isn't that the reason you want to finish quickly? So you can go again?"

"During free time, sure, but in the middle of a work day the perk is that it only takes four minutes out of your lunch break," said Elsa. "Once is enough. Now… lunch."

"Four minutes, huh?" said Rapunzel. "Hrmm… gosh, I would have thought Anna'd be back with a story by now. She started before you guys did…"

"Really?" said Merida. "She'd be done by now? Is Kristoff that good?"

"More like Anna's that… sensitive. Have you seen her?"

"Not for the past four minutes, no," said Elsa.

"I don't even know what she needs me for," Rapunzel raved, grasping at her wine glass. "I stayed here to teach her about pleasure. But ever since my ship left, she's been having sex every day. Not all the way, she's still saving _that_ for once a month— _most_ of the time—but every day, she's pleasuring him, he's pleasuring her, apparently they've figured it out. What am I even doing here?"

Elsa and Merida looked at each other sadly.

"I… I don't know what to say, Rapunzel," Elsa murmured. "I'm sorry."

"Sounds like you're homesick somethin' awful, lass," said Merida, pouting.

"I don't even need to go home," Rapunzel admitted. "I just… I miss the way things were at the beginning. Hanging out with Anna all day, talking, having fun, and then once I'm exhausted, off to bed for some amazing sex with Eugene. Now I try to spend time with Anna, and every five minutes she gets horny and runs off with Kristoff, and then at night, we…" She half-heartedly scowled, staring at her reflection in the wine as she considered telling the truth. "At night I have to deal with how she's _still_ horny. It's like… what does she think _I_ am?"

Elsa and Merida continued to frown at her. Not looking at them, Rapunzel pointed forcefully to their chairs. "Sit. Take your lunch." They hastily obliged.

"I thought she's been holding out this week," said Elsa. "You know, to make today more special. Surely she's been spending more time with you because of that?"

"I dunno," Rapunzel mumbled. "Maybe. I don't know, I stopped paying attention. That would explain why she's been having so much trouble sleeping. Thrashing around all the time…"

"Er… yeah?" said Merida, raising an eyebrow. "Trouble with the co-sleeping arrangement, Punzie?"

"No," said Rapunzel. "I don't… I can't sleep alone. It's out of the question. And I really love sharing the bed with Anna. It's not without its flaws… we certainly don't have any secrets, to say nothing of what we get up to in there… it's not perfect. In fact it's barely even good… ugh, yeah, this can't keep going. Next time I see her I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind." She took another swig of wine.

At that very moment, Anna entered the dining hall. Rapunzel immediately rushed over to her, and, in full view of everyone, kissed her on the lips.

"I'm so sick of you," she slurred, ineffectually giving Anna a half-hearted punch on the arm. "But I'm not, you know? I'm not." She squeezed Anna tightly.

"Um… thanks?" Anna said uncertainly, hugging Rapunzel back.

"You smell like sex," Rapunzel muttered. "Gross. I used to smell like that all the time…"

Anna patted her. "You will again. We'll get you back home. Just say the word. Um, can I go get food now?"

"Okay, but… but Anna? Dude?"

"Yeah, Punzie?"

"There's something you should know… so I'm gonna tell you so," said Rapunzel, her words becoming increasingly rhythmic. "Anna, if you'd give me just a minute of your time, I'd like to express my affection and bust a rhyme. I feel like I raised you, I swell up with pride, when you're off getting hot I feel all warm inside. I hope the world around us can contain their jealousy, because there's nothing on this earth more special than my Anna and me." She kissed her fingertips and contorted her hand into an odd, random position. "Peace."

Anna stared at her, looking almost appalled. "Wow. I guess you're _not_ great at everything."

"Oh, shush," Rapunzel grumbled.

"I mean, 'rap' is right there in your name, you'd at least think… but my God, that was pitiful."

"Buzz off."

"I think you're buzzed off already, cousin."

"You drive me to drink, Anna," Rapunzel slurred, punching her so softly that it was barely even a push. "You're the best. I'm gonna take a nap."

She pushed past Anna, aggressively but ineffectually. Anna watched her go in concern, then shrugged and pranced in the direction of Elsa and Merida. "Heyyyyy!" she sang.

Elsa looked her over. "Hey. Thought you were getting laid."

"Oh, I did," said Anna. "Now I'm done. So I'm back."

"You're just… done? Where's _he_?"

Anna blinked, thinking back. "Okay, I see what you're saying. I kind of left him there, didn't I?"

"I assume."

"Right, I will go provide more closure for that little thing, and then I will be right back."

"Might be a good idea, sis," said Elsa, winking. "Not that I'm one to talk."

~0~0~0~

Anna burst into Kristoff's room, losing her balance and dangling from the doorknob.

"Hey," she chirped. "Sorry I kinda left you hanging there."

"Did you?" he said casually. "You know, I hadn't noticed." He hadn't moved an inch from where she'd left him, flat on his back in bed.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Oh, no problem," he said. "Figured you were just… late for a princess party or something."

"Aw, baby," she cooed, walking toward him. "You want some more closure? Little bit of after-play, perhaps? Or we could do the whole thing again and _then_ after-play?"

"I kinda like that second idea."

"Yay!" She jumped into his lap and started kissing him. "I have good ideas sometimes, don't I?"

"More than sometimes."

She kissed his forehead. "Okay, redo… I'll warm you up a bit, lots of kisses… and then more closure this time."

~0~0~0~

Anna entered her bedroom later that night, the nature-themed dress clinging to her from profuse sweat. As usual, Rapunzel was reading by lamplight in Anna's bed.

"Hey," said Anna. "Whatcha reading? That doesn't look like a Marvel book."

"Not all books are from Marvel, Anna."

"Well, you wouldn't know it from looking at the bookshops these days. Apparently before they started self-publishing, they sold all their best characters to a couple of other publishers and those guys just keep on churning out terrible books about Marvel characters… but hey, that meant Marvel had to go to some of their more obscure legends to build this Adventurers universe, that's a really, really great series, so I guess it was all for the best. Anyway, what is it you're reading, then?"

"I've… been looking through a couple of books where the hero commits adultery but is still depicted sympathetically," Rapunzel said grimly. "I thought maybe it'd put me at ease about… certain activities of ours."

Anna pouted as she sat down on the bed. "Is it working?"

"It's working okay," Rapunzel muttered. "I mean, you know, it is human nature to be impulsive… when you're nearby somebody who makes you feel things…"

"Well, I keep saying, if you think we shouldn't be nearby each other anymore…"

"Of course not," Rapunzel said viciously. "You keep saying that and I keep saying _no_. Quit it. I want to be near you all the time. You're my cousin and my best friend, and I—"

Anna pressed her lips against Rapunzel's, and slipped her tongue into and out of her mouth before pulling away, all too quickly for Rapunzel to react.

"You see our dilemma," Rapunzel concluded darkly.

"Yeah…" said Anna. "Well… it's been an exhausting day. Going all the way burns some calories! I stayed with him all afternoon… I had to have a big dinner." She began slipping out of her dress. "Ugh, so sweaty today… but, such is the cost of getting good at sex…"

"Yeah, about that," said Rapunzel, standing up and setting her book aside. "Since you obviously have a really healthy, great sex life like you wanted… don't you think you ought to be getting married soon? I mean, that was the idea, wasn't it? Have we lost sight of that, do you think?"

Anna frowned at her. "Punzie, why you gotta be such a buzzkill? I'm having fun with him the way things are."

"Oh, fine, fine…" Rapunzel muttered. "As you wish…"

"Boy, this next couple of days is gonna be the biggest relief since, like, ever," Anna jabbered.

"How's that?"

"Hmm? I thought I told everybody. I've been cutting back on all the gratification this past week or so to make sure it has more impact when I get it for these couple of days. Haven't you noticed? I've only been taking him aside to get me off once a day or so. Agh, it's been almost unbearable."

"One orgasm a day? Yeah, that sounds… impossible to cope with."

"It's pretty rough, yeah," Anna said solemnly.

"You're such a…" Rapunzel growled under her breath, turning her back on Anna and hanging up her robe. "I mean, what I wouldn't give…"

Anna crept up behind Rapunzel and tapped her on the shoulder. Rapunzel turned to face her, glancing down once at Anna's body before looking at her face with one eyebrow raised.

"You think maybe you and me are too comfortable with the body, just standing here together stark naked?" she asked.

"We're not naked, we're wearing panties," Anna said brightly. "There's not much to them, but they are technically clothes. And no, not too comfortable at all. This is the safe room, Punzie." She grinned as she looked Rapunzel over, suddenly adopting a thoughtful expression.

"…What's on your mind, Anna?" Rapunzel said tiredly.

"Remember that time you… whipped your feet out for me?" Anna said flirtatiously.

"How could I not?"

"Well… I took a look at Kristoff's feet, hoping to replicate that feeling, and… just didn't do anything for me. I didn't like them at all. And then when I touched his chest… kinda wished he had boobs. But I still don't want to have sex with… with you, or any other woman… I _really_ like traditional sex. All the same, I wish he was more… like you."

They embraced, and soon they were feeling each other's breasts and kissing, which stopped as imperceptibly as it had began.

"Huh," Rapunzel remarked. "Well, apart from the disappointment that he doesn't have my feet or my boobs, how was the sex?"

"It was amazing," said Anna. "He's so good at it. I love him. I can't wait to do this every day… not just 'playing around', but all the way, every day, like today… mmm… that would definitely be the best thing that marriage has to offer."

Casually, she took off her panties. Rapunzel averted her eyes and returned to the side of the bed.

"Gosh, this must be the fifth time today I've undressed," Anna said brightly. "Maybe on safe days I just shouldn't wear clothes at all."

Rapunzel chuckled and got into bed, making sure she was under the covers before removing her own panties. Anna frowned at this, but got into bed beside her.

"Ow," Anna muttered, bringing a hand to her temple.

"You okay?" said Rapunzel.

Anna rubbed the top of her head. "Headache. I kind of bounced off his headboard a couple hundred times. I didn't want to stop to readjust."

"Mmmm, been there," Rapunzel said fondly.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, many times."

"Okay, so I'm not crazy then," said Anna, giggling. "It's not just me and my complete immersive obsession with sex, it really is that good."

"It really is."

Anna gently placed her hand atop Rapunzel's. Rapunzel looked at it in surprise.

"Punzie…" Anna said lovingly. "I'm sorry, but I just _can't_ not like our secret kissy times. I can't bring myself to regret them. They're so much fun."

"We're used to it," Rapunzel said hollowly.

"Yeah."

"That's bad. It can't… we can't do it anymore. And we can't just keep _saying_ that."

"Can't we?" Anna said hopefully.

"No, Anna!" Rapunzel snapped. "Anna, there's something I need you to do with me. We need to really, truly commit to abstaining from this thing we do. We need to make it a promise."

She held out her pinkie to Anna, who recoiled from it. "And when you make a promise…"

"I never—"

"You never break that promise. Ever." Anna stared at Rapunzel's pinkie as though it was something truly dreadful.

"Anna," Rapunzel said harshly, jabbing her pinkie toward her forcefully.

"…Would this mean we have to stop sleeping together naked?"

"Of course not. Stop even suggesting that. That's ridiculous."

"Uh-huh… uh-huh… good. Er…"

"What's the holdup, Anna?" Rapunzel growled.

"I just…"

"You just. You just what?"

"I just kind of feel like when we're making out is the only time you're not ticked off at me," Anna peeped.

Rapunzel's face softened. "Anna… I haven't been mad at you. I've been mad at myself. _And_ you. Because we're equal participants in this… this addiction of ours. We need to be equal participants in making _sure_ that it stops."

"…But I like it."

"Anna!"

"Okay, okay… I know."

"You know what, Anna?" Rapunzel challenged. "Say it."

"It's bad for us," said Anna. "It's cheating. It's incest. It's an addiction that's hurting us and others, even if they don't know it."

"And do you believe that?"

Anna nodded. "I… well, it's… yes… we… oh, Punzie, I just want you to trust me again."

"I never stopped trusting you," Rapunzel said tenderly.

"And… I'm not going to give you a reason to." She clasped her pinkie around Rapunzel's.

"Is it a promise?" said Rapunzel.

"It is," said Anna.

"Okay. …Goodnight, cousin."

"Goodnight, Rapunzel."

Anna extinguished the lights, and they both rolled over, lying back to back. After a few moments, Anna reached back for Rapunzel's hand. To her surprise, Rapunzel took it.

"You can do this, Anna," she said.

"I can keep a promise," Anna mumbled. "But… I'm gonna miss it."

"Hmm… yeah," Rapunzel admitted. "Wrong as it was… I think you're the best kisser in the whole wide world. No joke."

"Thanks," Anna giggled. "Gosh… I don't think I've ever loved anyone so much that I just couldn't stop myself from grabbing them and kissing them…"

"Um… what about Kristoff?"

"Say what now?"

"Kristoff?" Rapunzel said clearly. "You know the guy, right? Kristoff? About five-foot-ten, blond, muscular, well-endowed, you missed lunch today because you were having sex with him, at least twice? Isn't _he_ a person you can't resist?"

"Oh yeah," Anna said, fascinated. "And that's because… because I love him. Of course I do. Totally." She went silent.

"See you in the morning, An. We can do this. We can be who we were before."

"Yeah. Love you."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** I haven't properly thanked my fiancée for being the person to meet both of my goals, both the one about 114 reviews and the one about someone getting to the story's current point. Thank you, my love! You're always the best. Kissies!


	42. Day 32

**AN:** So, funny thing, I realized some time ago that I apparently didn't get the end of _Moana_. I did not realize that Moana was made the chief. So, that's not the case here. Maybe later. But in this continuity, Tui has not quite retired yet.

My sister and I also cracked a lot of jokes about how Moana put the shell on top of the mountain instead of another flat rock was pretty insensitive to the next generation… apparently, we missed the implication that the entire population is leaving Motunui forever to find a new place to live. I guess I thought it was just some sort of expedition to find new resources… once again, I guess that's changed in this continuity. Motunui is still very much active, but what that trip did was get the village in touch with several other islands and villages, expanding their world a little bit.

I've read up a lot on the research the crew did while making _Moana_ , and one thing that really resonated for me, which I think I actually alluded to in the previous Moana chapter, was that Polynesians don't see the ocean as something that divides all the island cultures but as something that _connects_ them. That's really cool.

 **Day 32**

"Ugh!" Moana exclaimed. "I knew when we started how long this was going to take, but by the gods, it's getting old. This ocean goes on forever."

"Again," Maui said calmly from the back of the boat, "it's smaller than the ocean we left."

"And that's great for people _crossing_ the ocean, but _we're_ going north."

Maui considered that. "…That is correct," he admitted. "You know, sometimes you're too sharp for your own good, kiddo."

"I know," Moana said smugly, returning her gaze to their course. "Sorry I'm getting impatient, I just… I _really_ want to see some people, places, and things! New things, at this new place. Not just… more ocean. I love the ocean. But it's not new."

"What about that Atlantic swordfish we caught that we've been eating?" Maui said helpfully.

" _Not_ satisfactorily different from a Pacific swordfish, I'm afraid," Moana said wistfully. "Ah, well… it'll happen. Gonna be a… _worldly_ woman when this is all over."

"We can hope," Maui agreed.

"I _do_ hope." Moana gazed out at the ocean, lost in thought.

"What's on your mind, kid?"

Moana moistened her lips, dried by the salty sea air, with her tongue.

"How… do you know so much about the world beyond the Pacific?" she finally asked. "When I found you, you'd been stranded on that island for a millennium."

"Yeah, but I'd been alive for another millennium before _that_ ," said Maui. "I didn't spend all that time in the Pacific. Sure, that's where I did all my moving and shaking, all my god stuff, but I did spend a lot of time traveling the rest of the world too, meeting some other… pantheons. Olympians, Asgardians."

Moana silently mouthed those last two words, soaking in the majesty of them which she didn't quite understand. "Other gods, huh? I've never heard… any chance their people would have heard of _your_ exploits?"

"Oh… probably not."

"Ouch," Moana teased. "That's gotta sting."

"It's fine."

Moana turned her eyes to the northern horizon. "We've got a lot of exploring to do."

Maui raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that, kid. We've got one job here."

"Oh, please!" Moana laughed. "You honestly think we're going to sail for all these months just to save the victims of this one shipwreck and then sail for months back home? No, there's more going on than that. I think these four women are going to play a bigger part in our fate than we can possibly imagine."

Maui considered that. "Okay," he grunted. "That checks out."

"Gosh, when we meet them, will they be able to understand us?" said Moana. "Our language?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine. In my experience, no matter where you go in the world, or what time period you're in, pretty much everybody speaks English. Usually with an American accent."

"Okay, good to know."

~0~0~0~

Sometime later, with nothing in the way of prompting, Moana, stationed at the bow, fell backward onto the deck of the boat, rolled across the boat's entire length, and sprang casually to her feet, directly facing the tattoos on Maui's chest. "How's everybody doing over here?"

The small tattoo-Maui shrugged noncommittally, offering her his usual winning smile.

"That's good," said Moana. "And how about _you_?"

The tattoo-Moana shot the real Moana a thumbs-up, following by a peace sign.

Moana grinned and returned the gestures. "That's good to hear. Gosh, you're good-looking. I could just eat you up… well, that came out wrong. I don't want to eat Maui's skin. Eww. Anyway, you're aces, Little Me. You know why you're over Maui's heart, right? And why you're wayfinding? Because without me, this guy would be going in the entirely wrong direction all the time. Morally, spiritually…"

"We've picked up on the symbolism, thanks," Maui said dryly. "Not arguing with you, though."

"Oh!" Moana said excitedly. "Maui, I can't believe I've forgotten to tell you all this time—I got my first tattoo."

"A tattoo?" he said apprehensively. "Like…" He gestured to his own.

"No, no," she said. "Just a mundane, non-magical tattoo."

"Oh!" he said in relief. "Like a… a tribal thing."

"Yeah."

"Okay, I was worried for a second."

"Scared that I might be as important as you?" Moana teased.

"Kinda, yeah," said Maui, smirking.

"Well, no, just an ordinary tattoo," said Moana. "Everyone in my village gets them. But for a while I wasn't sure what I was passionate enough about, so I kept delaying, trying so hard to decide what kind of imagery I wanted on my skin forever. I figured it out a few weeks before you and I got the prophecy."

"Awesome," said Maui, looking her over. "Well… where is it? Whip it out, let's see what you've got."

Moana turned her back to him, and lowered the band of her high-waisted skirt, revealing a tattoo of a manta ray on her lower back, surrounded, as was typical, by geometric shapes running side to side.

"Aw, a manta ray," he said tenderly. "Just like your grandma, right?"

"Yeah."

"But way down on your lower back where no one can even see it?" he inquired. "What's with that?"

She turned back to him. "Well… it's on the tracks of the body that represent courage and independence, those are important concepts to me, and on my back to represent the past, which fits as a tribute to my grandma and my own devotion to returning my village to its traditions. But to be perfectly honest about why _exactly_ I placed it on my lower back, I wanted something new and different… something unique that no one had ever done before. It's even kind of sexy, somehow… don't you think?"

Maui snorted. "Ah, no. I don't want to hear the word 'sexy' in relation with _you_ , kid."

"Oh, come on," she said. "I'm fifteen years old, I can be sexy if I want to be."

"You're a baby," Maui retorted. "A baby with huge eyes and little button-nose and fat ankles, like a baby."

"Well, I—hey!" She looked down at her ankles, then glared at him. "Fat ankles. You're one to talk about fat anything, porkbelly."

"This is all muscle and you know it, kiddo," he said, puffing out his chest.

"So is this," said Moana, flexing her arms. "I just pull it off better than you do." She kissed her own biceps. "Yup… I make muscle look good."

"Why don't you just shut up and steer the boat, princess? We're drifting."

"Yes, your lordship."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** While cleaning up the story a bit, I did wonder if giving Moana a lower back tattoo was perhaps not in very good taste. Or perhaps, like, a horrible thing to do. I did some research on the subject of Polynesian tattoos, and so added in what Moana says about the meaning of its placement. And lower back tattoos first came into existence in the 1990s, so Moana is correct that it's unique and not part of the tradition. Whether a Polynesian lower back tattoo is the amusing idea I thought at first or simply distasteful, I still don't really know, but I'm hanging onto it because it's just too consistent with the tone of the story. They seem to be popular on Pinterest, if nothing else.


	43. Day 33

**AN:** So, the _Frozen II_ teaser dropped a while ago. Friendly reminder that whatever happens in that film will have no effect on the events of this fic, because I planned out an _immense_ amount of the story's events before I ever even posted it. So, like, if you see Elsa trying to cross ocean waves using her powers, that was totally my idea first. Although I have to admit she does it in a much cooler way in the teaser than the way I thought of. Ah well.

 **Day 33**

Rapunzel stopped in her tracks. She had been on her way to the head table for breakfast, but her blood ran cold at something she hadn't spotted early enough. The head table she thought had been completely unoccupied had a single person already eating there: Kristoff.

She looked away, biting her lip painfully, her fingernails digging into her palms.

"Just… be civil," she muttered to herself. "He has no idea. Just… ignorance is bliss. Keep him that way."

She crossed herself and approached him.

"Hey!" she said shrilly, reaching around the back of the chair to put her hands on his shoulders. "How's it hanging?"

"Oh, pretty good."

"That's good," said Rapunzel uneasily, her knuckles turning white. "Sorry, I know we haven't really spoken, but I get such detailed information about your sex life that I feel like I know you… intimately."

"Really?" he said blankly. "Where exactly do women draw the line at how much they tell each other?"

"No line," said Rapunzel, her amusement bringing a breezy tone to her voice. "Everything is worth mentioning. I could probably pick your privates out of a lineup without ever having seen them. …But I see no need to test that theory. In all seriousness… how is Anna?"

"I think you'd know the answer to that better than I would, these days."

Rapunzel winced. "Maybe. I know she and I spend way too much time together, that I keep her away from you. And I'm sorry. My husband wasn't crazy about that either. But I meant, like… how are her inner workings? Of her body, I mean. Her reproductive system, how's she doing on the mechanical level?"

"She is in excellent working order."

"Cool. And you? Are you… satisfied?"

He took a sip of his juice. " _Very_ satisfied," he said.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said, sitting beside him. "Anna's a real special lady, isn't she?"

"They don't come any more special than Anna," he agreed.

Anna was entering the dining hall at that moment, and beamed the moment she saw them, hastily approaching to stand across the table from them. "Hey," she said brightly. "Aw, look at you two, talkin' to each other. That's so sweet."

Kristoff stood. "Hey, Anna-banana! How are you doing?"

She beamed at him. "For starters? Really impressed that you got my name to rhyme with 'banana' by mispronouncing them _both_. You must have had to invent a whole new vowel sound to pull that off. That's… yeah, that's really impressive."

"Thank you," he said smugly.

Anna circled around the table and gently pushed Kristoff back onto his chair, swung one leg over to sit in his lap, and began to kiss him passionately.

Rapunzel watched them curiously, taking careful note of every motion of Anna's mouth. The techniques were very familiar, Rapunzel had felt everything Anna was doing, and a surge of desire bubbled up in her stomach as she remembered the sensation. Horrified, she looked away.

~0~0~0~

Elsa entered the castle courtyard, bearing two small, hinged boxes she had acquired in the city. There, she crossed paths with Kristoff, who was bearing a bundle of blankets, and had pronounced purple welts all over his neck.

"Oh, hey, Kristoff… wow. What happened to you?"

He chuckled. "Anna… really liked it when I called her Anna-banana. I was… rewarded. Beyond the proportions of my deed. Twice."

"Wow," Elsa said in amusement.

"Yeah," he said. "She's a… she's aggressive. This is a new side of her. It's a fun new side, mind you. I just… it's kinda the only side I've seen of her lately."

"Mm, my sympathies," Elsa said, pouting. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure it's just the proverbial honeymoon phase. I've been there. Probably still am." She tugged at the neckline of her dress, displaying to him the similar bite marks on her upper chest.

"Nice," he said appreciatively.

"Yep."

"So… what's in the boxes?" he asked.

"Oh, I've just been down to the jewelers, picking up some stuff I commissioned," said Elsa. "Check it out."

She flipped open the smaller box, revealing a thin golden ring, set with a large, square purple jewel, flanked by two smaller diamonds.

Kristoff took a moment to absorb the sight of the ring, then put a hand over his heart. "Gosh, sis, I had no idea you felt that way about me."

She lightly whacked him in the side of the head with the box, before closing it and dropping it into his hand. "Hang onto it, would you? Until tomorrow night? Merida tends to dig around in my stuff. I'd keep it on my person, but, hehe, hiding an object anywhere in my clothes wouldn't keep it hidden from Merida for very long."

"Yeah, you bet," he said.

"Oh, and you probably want to make sure Anna knows about it. Just to make sure she doesn't find it and think it's for her and cause, you know, all sorts of wacky shenanigans."

"Anna doesn't dig around in my stuff," Kristoff chuckled.

"Eeeeeyes, she does, hate to tell you."

"Er… all right," he said awkwardly. "Okay, I'll let her know." He toyed with the box, balancing it on one finger after another on his right hand. "You know, I think I'm pretty close to being able to get one of these…"

"Oh?" Elsa said in surprise. "Do you… is it that time? I can get you one, you know."

"No, no," Kristoff said hurriedly. "I want to earn it myself. It's a symbolic… thing. Don't go to any trouble."

"If you're sure," Elsa said gently, rubbing his arm. "Just… let me know if I can help. I've kind of got my own gift for Anna here."

" _Hmmmmmmmm?_ "

Anna appeared out of nowhere, drifting toward them dreamily. "A gift? For me?" she said, beaming.

"Gah!" Elsa exclaimed. "Where… where did you… well, okay, good, you're here. The jewelers finished up the jobs I appointed them. I got a little something I'm going to give to Merida tomorrow night…"

Kristoff wiggled the box. Anna gasped, her eyes going completely round.

"We'll talk about that after tomorrow night," Elsa said hastily. "Big decision, sure, but we all knew, it… was only a matter of time. No, what I wanted to show to you was… this. As promised."

She opened the second, larger box. Within was a gleaming brass diadem, dotted with small rubies.

"A princess deserves a proper crown," Elsa said gravely.

Anna covered her mouth with both hands and stepped forward, gingerly removing the crown from the box. "Wow, Elsa… it's exactly what I wished for. Of course, you kind of coerced me into wishing for it… you really didn't have to…"

"Yes, I did," Elsa said firmly. "Put it on, Princess."

Anna turned the crown over in her hands. "Listen, Elsa…"

"No, you listen," said Elsa, gently rubbing Anna's arm. "You're the princess, and everybody has to be nice to you and give you things, because you outrank them. But me… you're so much more than just my heir, you know. I need to give you things too. To thank you for my life."

"Well…" Anna began modestly.

"And I'm not just talking about you jumping in front of a sword for me. You bind me to the earth. You make me feel alive. Anna, I love you _so_ much."

Anna's lips and hands trembled. "Kinda things you ought to be saying to Merida tomorrow night, don't you think? Don't waste those pretty words on me…"

"No more words, then," said Elsa. "Just, please… wear my crown. Be my heir. For me? Please?"

"Okay," said Anna, gently turning the crown over one last time and placing it on her head, where it fit snugly. "Well… how do I look?"

"Amazing," said Elsa, stepping forward to pull her into a tight embrace. "You're so beautiful."

"Just… can you do me one favor, Els?"

"What's that?"

"Don't die," Anna said shakily. "You know? You know I've never had a real job, and maybe I could handle one… probably not, but maybe… but the only way I can _get_ a real job is if you die, and I definitely can't handle doing your job _while_ dealing with your death, so… please don't die? Ever? At least not until my firstborn gets old enough that I can pawn it off on them. Then I could be, like, sort of a dowager queen. _That_ job, I could do. Only that's not what a dowager is. But you know what I mean."

"Just… stop talking, you crazy cuckoo bird," said Elsa, squeezing her tighter.

They sank deeper into the embrace contentedly, then parted and looked to Kristoff.

"Hey, Kristoff," Anna said sweetly. "How do I look?"

He shrugged. "Like a princess."

"Like what I've been my whole life? Gee, thanks."

He chuckled. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't even mention it," she said, seductively draping herself against the doorframe leading back into the castle. "Come on."

"What?"

"You know," she said, winking. "Just… come on."

"Really?" he said in alarm. "For the third time today?"

"If you're up for that, stud."

He looked her over and took a deep breath. "…Okay, yeah. I can do it."

She grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him back into the castle.

"Hey, Punzie," Anna chirped, seeing her cousin round a corner. "Wow, we're always crossing paths with each other and stuff. Small castle, huh? 'Scuse us a moment, I'll be right with you…"

She continued pulling Kristoff along, swiftly disappearing around another corner, but not before Rapunzel noticed all the welts on Kristoff's neck. Slouching guiltily, Rapunzel pulled up the collar of her dress, concealing those on her own.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** A shout-out to the anonymous guest reviewer who's been hanging around at recent chapters. Thank you very much.


	44. Day 34

**AN:** I've ceased keeping track of what dresses and makeup the characters are wearing every day… just an unnecessary burden on my mind. After all, this story never _will_ be adapted to a visual medium, and the dresses and makeup have only been mentioned on rare occasions of inspiration… such as this chapter, just incidentally.

 **Day 34**

It was sunset, and a large crate was being dragged through the castle gates.

"Whoa," Merida observed. "Where's that goin'?"

"The, uh, kitchens," Elsa said absently. "It's our chocolate delivery." She addressed one of the castle guards. "Put a few guards on that chocolate. Half of it is mine. If Princess Anna tries to get into it before we distribute it properly, put her in the stocks. Yes, really, your own princess. I'll take care of her from there."

"Yes, your majesty."

"As for you, Merida…"

Elsa turned around and froze. Merida was wearing long and dark false eyelashes, as well as a very tight and low-cut strapless white and black dress.

"Oh, wow," Elsa remarked, before falling silent for a very long time.

"You okay there?" Merida said cautiously.

"The hell if I know," Elsa mumbled.

"Babe…"

"I'm sorry," Elsa said hastily. "I'm just… wow. You caught me flat-footed."

"Babe, that's… I don't even know what to say," Merida admitted. "I think I'll just kiss you." And so she did.

"So…" Elsa said once they were done. "One month since our first date."

They pressed their palms together, then interlaced their fingers.

"That's crazy," said Merida. "Only a month? I don't think I can remember a time when you weren't my whole life."

"Same, Mer. I don't know how I made it this long without you."

They kissed again, and Merida ran her hands up Elsa's body. Elsa was wearing a mink coat, tightly-wrapped around a long yellow dress.

"So, where are we going this evening?" Merida asked.

"Just a nice quiet place," said Elsa. "Fairly public. You know, we're fully out now. So let's show ourselves off to the people. I, er, may have gone too far with that subject, actually…"

"How's that, then?"

"Well… nothing. You'll see."

"Will I?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely."

"…Okay, I'll take that," said Merida, nodding. "So secretive. That's hot."

~0~0~0~

"So, what's the story with that coat?" Merida asked, looking it over. "Is that mink?" They had arrived at their destination, and were taking their seats at an outdoor café.

"Um… I think so, yeah," Elsa said uncertainly.

"Never seen you in something you didn't make," said Merida. "Unless you can make mink out of snow now."

"Ah, heh heh… no, it's real," Elsa said awkwardly. "Just something I found among my mother's stuff. I do that every so often. You know, just looking for something fancy and real for our date."

"That's a lovely sentiment, darling, but it's a perfectly warm April evening. Aren't you a bit warm?"

Elsa hesitated. "Okay, see… I _was_ gonna take it off… but now that we're actually out in public, I'm kind of regretting my choice of dress."

"What, you don't like yellow?"

"It's not _just_ yellow," Elsa said with an awkward grin.

Merida waited. "That's all I'm getting? Well, now you've just got me curious, lass! What's the matter with you?"

"I suppose I could just modify the dress with magic, I mean…"

"Ohhhh, no you don't," said Merida, reaching out to pin Elsa's wrist to the table. "Show me what you brought. Let's see it."

Elsa glared.

"You're gonna get all sweaty," Merida sang.

"All right, fine," Elsa sighed, scowling up at the ceiling. "You and everyone else in this place can enjoy a couple of acres for a while."

"Acres?" Merida repeated.

Elsa removed her coat, revealing that the yellow ice-spun dress was practically nonexistent from the waist up, baring her arms and an immense amount of cleavage, the neckline cut all the way down to an inch below her navel.

"Ah… acres," said Merida.

"Acres of skin," Elsa grumbled.

"Acres and acres…"

"Yeah, what was I thinking…"

"Well… this time it's this girl who's flat-footed," said Merida, pointing to herself. "That is truly incredible."

"Oh, how shocking can it really be to you of all people?" Elsa said under her breath. "You see me every day completely naked."

"Not the same thing at all," Merida said breathlessly.

A waiter walked by and did a huge, wild double-take at Elsa's body. He almost stumbled, and his eyes moved to her face. Realizing who he was ogling, his eyes bulged and he hastily scrambled away, terrified.

"This is your fault, you know," said Elsa.

"I'm well aware," Merida said smugly. "I love that I make you want to do crazy things."

"And I… can't _quite_ bring myself to regret any of those crazy things," Elsa said, smirking.

~0~0~0~

Later that night, they walked through Arendelle hand in hand.

"People are staring," Elsa said softly.

"It's not every day women are so brazen," Merida said smugly. "The public gayness, the boobtastic dress… you're quite the queen, my dear. I mean, my God… that dress is absolutely epic."

"Er, no," Elsa said dryly. " _Les Miserables_ is an epic. My cleavage and sideboob are at best mildly impressive."

"Well, as the person who's in love with you, anything mildly impressive about you seems epic to me," Merida said sweetly.

Elsa shook her head in disbelief. "You are so smooth. Do you have a sexy answer for everything?"

" _You're_ sexy," Merida breathed. "I mean… my God, are you ever. You're _so_ sexy it's unreal."

Elsa smirked at her. "Is that all you like about me? That I'm sexy?"

Merida shook her head. "No, that's not all. I admit that on the first day we knew each other, you drew me in with your gorgeous face and excellent tits… and I mean… wow… _glorious_ tits…"

Elsa giggled.

"But on the second day…" Merida went on. "The second day, you made me fall madly in love with you, with the high-quality brain you keep _behind_ the face, and the heart of gold you've got behind the tits."

Elsa laughed again, in shrill surprise this time.

"Four pillars of a very, very sexy woman," Merida concluded brightly.

They entered a lush, grassy park.

Elsa beamed. "The same thing happened to me, I think. Your face was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life. Or… maybe it was your hair. And then… what a heart and mind. Flawed, like mine. In just such a way that I think we kind of… need each other." She looked Merida over. "Of course, you don't _have_ tits, so… perhaps you're not as well-rounded as you could be."

Merida smirked. "Oh, keep sayin' that, I might just smack your hand away every time you try to touch 'em. Can't have it both ways, your majesty. Can't lust after 'em then turn around and claim they're not even there."

Elsa smirked and looked around. "Hrmm, well, let's see, too many witnesses for the comeback I have in mind… meh, I don't even care."

And with that, she came up behind Merida and vigorously felt up her chest. "You wouldn't dare," she whispered in Merida's ear as she massaged her breasts. "You couldn't if you tried."

"Hey, you kept me from yours long enough."

"A week," Elsa shot back. "I asked you not to touch them the first _week_ we were together. I hardly think that's unreasonable."

"Way too long to go without something so magnificent."

Merida spun around and shoved her face in Elsa's cleavage, rapidly shaking her head and vibrating her lips.

Elsa jumped back, wide-eyed. "Eep! What was that?"

Merida shrugged. "I don't think there's a name for it."

Elsa giggled quietly. "Well, don't do it."

"No? Aw. I always wanted to."

"It tickles."

"Ah. Well, I wouldn't know, seeing as I don't have boobs." Merida stuck out her tongue.

Elsa reached out and grabbed the tongue between her thumb and forefinger. "Mine."

They kissed passionately. One onlooker started applauding, then hastily stopped, embarrassed, at the realization he was the only one doing so.

~0~0~0~

Later, as the sun began to dip even further, they continued to walk through the park, and found themselves under a bridge, out of sight of any other park visitors.

"I have… something to discuss with you," Elsa said quietly. "Something I've been waiting for a bit more… privacy… to open up about."

"Aye?"

"Well… I have an interest in the future," said Elsa. "That is, after all, where you and I will be spending the rest of our lives. And future events such as these may affect us in… in the future."

Merida blinked slowly at her.

"I hate myself," Elsa muttered.

"Just speak plainly, dear," Merida said softly. "What is it you're trying to ask me?"

Elsa sighed. "I just wanted a chance to formally, privately… ask you for your hand." She dropped down to one knee and presented the open ring box.

Merida straightened in shock, her eyes wide and lip thin.

"Merida?" Elsa said nervously.

Merida produced her own tiny box, making a popping sound with her mouth as she opened it. "My hand and all the rest of me, if you can bear the burden." Merida's ring had a huge, oval-shaped placement covered in tiny diamonds.

"Oh, Merida," Elsa said in a choked voice, standing up and embracing her. "When did you do…?"

"I went into town for it this morning," said Merida. "A whole month? I had to have you."

Elsa sniffled. "Oh, dear, that's so perfect."

They exchanged the rings, slipping them onto their own ring fingers.

"Elsa, it's the most beautiful ring in the world," said Merida. "Where did you get it?"

"I designed it," said Elsa. "When I was having Anna's crown made, I thought I'd also… you know. Ideally, I'd have given you a ring with historical significance to the Arendelle line, but… my mother's ring was on her when she disappeared at sea. And nothing else in the castle vaults seemed to have the right gravitas, so I decided to get you something new instead."

"New can be special too," Merida said sincerely. "It doesn't have historical significance _now_. But in time… it'll be known as the one you gave to me."

Elsa almost whimpered. "Mer, you're… you really like it?"

"Babe, I'd have loved it if you'd given me an onion ring."

Elsa giggled and snorted.

"So this? This is beyond perfect."

"Thanks, babe," said Elsa, holding out her hand to examine the ring Merida had given her. "And this! This is very unique."

"Yup. That's what drew me to it. It's also a bottle opener."

"Oh, that's handy."

~0~0~0~

It was after sunset when they returned to the empty courtyard, hand in hand and walking briskly, grinning at one another.

As they passed the courtyard's center, Merida gazed up at the castle and slowed. "Hey," she said. "Wait a minute."

"What?" Elsa said blankly. "What? Wait a minute for what? You're delaying our engagement sex? For an entire minute? What's the—what's the matter with you, Merida? You don't see that I want you in bed _right now_? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Merida gaped at her.

Elsa winced. "I'm sorry… I've just… been very stressed all day. You know… spending all day preparing for my proposal… walking around town with eighty percent of my breasts showing… and then proposing. Waiting for your answer felt like it took about an hour…"

"Was there ever any doubt I'd say yes?" Merida said solemnly. "I told you the day we met that I wanted to marry you. That was a month ago."

"Of course there wasn't any doubt," said Elsa, looking away in shame. "But… anxiety. Or so my doctor tells me. I never had a word for it before I got out and found I was still generally fretful and jittery even though life was happy. But there you have it. It's like this bitch in the back of my head always nagging at me about how everything's going to go wrong. I envision her as a chubby brunette who dresses like a prude."

"Mmm." Merida squeezed Elsa's hand.

"So… sorry," Elsa said sheepishly. "What were we waiting a minute for?"

"Definitely _not_ delaying our engagement sex," Merida said tenderly. "My thought was… let's do it in every room in the castle. One by one."

Elsa leaned back, taking in that statement. "Wow, that's… whoa. That is a _lot_ of rooms. Are you intending to do it all in one night?"

"Of course not," she said, grinning. "Let's start, right now, right there"—she pointed to the entrance hall—"and see how far we can get. We'll make a list of all the rooms and see how much we can clear before we get married."

Elsa nodded slowly. "Uh-huh… and then tomorrow night…"

"Pick up where we left off," said Merida, nodding vigorously.

"Uh… what about when we get to the servant's quarters? Or, I don't know, Anna's room?"

"We'll do those during the day when they're empty," Merida said flippantly.

"Oh, _wow_ ," said Elsa, breaking out in an uncontrolled smile. "We are going to get _so_ caught."

"Many, many times."

"God, I love you."

They kissed passionately, then viciously, then softly, unable to bring themselves to part.

"Is the courtyard a room?" Elsa mumbled into Merida's mouth.

"We'll count it," said Merida.

Merida shoved Elsa, who fell down flat on her back, giggling wildly. "Wheee!" Elsa said giddily, as Merida dropped down to her knees and slowly ran her hands up Elsa's legs.

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** There's only one chapter remaining in the buffer I built up while the story was on hiatus. Yeah… I only completed seven chapters in the intervening year. I'll… have to come up with a plan for afterward.


	45. Day 35

**AN:** To the _other_ anonymous guest reviewer who showed up just yesterday, thank you for your honesty. I'm sorry I let you down. You're correct about one thing, your review won't change any of my plans, but the good news is you're mistaken about where this has been going. This was never going to be a "relationship", per se.

Granted, the story grew in a direction I didn't expect. For one thing, being thirteen chapters into Book Two with absolutely zero feedback on it, the Anxiety Gods blessed me with a vision of the incest subplot having completely ruined the story, so I began to subconsciously try to cut it shorter. More impressively, the story seemed to be doing that by itself anyway. Originally, Day 39 was to be the point when Rapunzel would first express anger about the affair—but, quite independently of my plans, she's already done so several times. That they would continue to succumb to the temptation as late as Book Five, as was my original plan, now seems unthinkable. Based solely on how the characters have reacted in the moment, it's clear to me that this whole thing was just a Book Two thing.

So… yeah, I'd regret introducing that subplot even if nobody had said anything about it. I'm going to commit to it, follow through on it, have it come to an organic end and continue to influence future events rather than just aborting it, but… yeah… I can assure you it won't last much longer and I'm sorry it ever happened. I hope you can forgive me.

 **Day 35**

"Rapunzel, check this out!"

Rapunzel turned. She had been standing pensively out in the garden, and Anna was striding toward her out of the castle. When within a few feet of Rapunzel, Anna tossed a piece of white fabric at her.

Alarmed, Rapunzel held a hand up in front of her face to intercept the object, catching it. She spread out the object, finding it to be a pair of panties soaked in a very thin layer of fresh blood.

"I'm totally on my period," Anna said smugly. "Not pregnant. Booyah! High five!"

"High five!" Rapunzel echoed, giving her one up above their heads. "And… how long have you been carrying around your blood-soaked panties?"

"Only as long as it took to find you," said Anna. "Which was quite a while, actually. I forget sometimes how big this castle is…"

"Well… good. Glad this worked out." She attempted to hand the panties back to Anna.

"I don't like being handed things," said Anna, pushing it back.

"Well, great," said Rapunzel. "You had your period. Congratulations on escaping the consequences of your actions. Not to steal your thunder or anything, but… me, I should have had mine two weeks ago."

Anna stared at her in surprise.

"Yeah," Rapunzel said softly.

"You're pregnant?" Anna breathed.

Rapunzel nodded.

"OMG, you're fo shiz up the spout!" Anna said eagerly, bouncing up and down.

"Yes, I am— _what?_ What the hell does that mean?"

"You know. Just a thing people say. Means pregnant."

"Nobody says that."

"Plenty of people say that."

"You lie."

"I swear. So, is it Eugene's?"

"Of course it's Eugene's!" Rapunzel snapped with a smirk, lightly striking Anna across the face with the panties. "Who else would it be? You? We haven't gone all the way yet, smarty-pants."

"Hehe… touché," said Anna, wiping her face. "I wondered… since I noticed your nipples have gotten bigger and darker…"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "That _is_ the sort of thing you would notice, even if we weren't… weren't…"

At the very thought of it, they seized each other in unison and began making out, their passion leading them to stagger off to the side until their legs made contact with one of the benches set against the wall.

Rapunzel shoved her away swiftly. "Gaaah! Why do we keep doing this?"

"I don't know," Anna said in despair. "We held out for… what's it been, three days? I really thought it was over…"

She looked down, noticing that Rapunzel's hands were still on her breasts from the shove. Rapunzel took notice as well and gave an involuntary squeeze before recoiling.

"No!" Anna exclaimed. "Bad! We're bad people…"

"Yeah," Rapunzel agreed wearily.

They sat down on a bench, stewing in the sudden burst of mixed emotions.

"Maybe we're having these urges because we look so much alike," Anna suggested lightly. "And what we really want is, like, to make out with ourselves."

"Well, we are twinsies," said Rapunzel, snorting with laughter. "Ah… I love you, Anna."

"I love you too, Punzie. But not in a wanting to make out with you kinda way. I don't know why this keeps happening… I just don't get it…"

Rapunzel huffed, lightly pounding a fist against the bench's surface. "We promised we'd stop, Anna. We promised."

"Well, look, _clearly_ we can't control it," said Anna. "So maybe we should just let it happen? So every once in a while we passionately kiss each other, so what? Like… what's wrong with it really?"

"What's wrong with it is that we promised we wouldn't," Rapunzel spat, baring her teeth.

"Yeah, there's that," said Anna, wincing. "That's, uh… that's important to you, isn't it?"

"I cling to it. It's my _one_ virtue."

Anna frowned. "One? Come on, you're a very virtuous person."

"Am I, Anna? Am I, though?" said Rapunzel, glaring at her. "I had just a tiny little world, my whole life, could I really have been a good person when I couldn't really alter my environment? How many times has my virtue been tested? I've had a little bit of involvement in politics, and now, well, now I'm here. Tell me, my dear treasured accomplice in all of this, _am I_ a virtuous person?"

"Uhhhh…"

"Thought so." Rapunzel turned away brusquely.

"Do you suppose there's a word or term for this?" Anna said meekly. "I mean, it's not at all like what Elsa and Merida are. They're just a couple, plain and simple. There's a label for it. Is there anything that describes…?"

"Oh my God, there is," Rapunzel said, shocked at the realization. "Kissing cousins. That's what we are. We're cousins… who kiss each other."

"Oh my God!" Anna cried. "…Though I don't think whoever came up with the expression 'kissing cousins' had exactly this in mind…"

"No, definitely not."

Anna sighed. "Ah, well. What have we become, Punzie?"

"I wish I knew. I wish I had the _faintest_ idea." She looked at Anna helplessly.

Anna looked back at her, gazing deep into her eyes. "So… pregnant, huh?"

"Yeaaaah…" Rapunzel said awkwardly. "I need to get out of this country. Back to my husband so he, you know, can be there… for this whole thing…"

"Yeah," Anna said with a sharp little gasp. "Yeah yeah yeah, you gotta… do that…"

Rapunzel made to bury her face in her hands, only to accidentally whip herself in the face with Anna's underwear. "Oh, for… why again didn't you take back your bloody panties?"

"Oops. Yeah, I'll take those…"

~0~0~0~

"…Well, _that_ play was scraping the bottom of the barrel," Elsa groaned. "I want our money back… maybe set up a picket line warning people away from it…"

"Really?" Merida giggled. "I kind of liked it. It was tacky and ridiculous, but that's part of its charm."

"Central premise of a tornado full of sharks didn't do it for you, sis?" Kristoff asked Elsa.

"No, no, _that_ could've carried a play," said Elsa. "If the play was _good_. This wasn't…"

"I think it was, like, so bad it was good," Anna supplied.

"What she said," said Merida, pointing at her.

"That makes _no_ sense," said Elsa.

"Mm-hm, mm-hm," Anna said absently. "So, you _guyyyys_ , when is this going to become official?" She grasped Elsa's hand to get a good look at the ring. "You know, public?"

"It'll happen, Anna," Elsa said reassuringly, concealing her hand. "Calm down. People are still adjusting to us being a couple. Let's not unload 'engaged to be married' onto them just yet. That kind of thing, moving from dating to engaged, it takes time. More time than we've been public."

Anna blinked. "If that's a personal jab, I… I'm-a let it slide. 'Cause I'm happy."

Elsa smiled, her eyes on the ground and her hand concealed inside her coat. "Well, I'm happy you're happy."

"No, no," Anna said sternly. "You're happy because you're engaged, and that's why _I'm_ happy."

"Fair enough. Strike that, reverse it…"

Anna grinned and Elsa recoiled.

"What the heck is that?"

"It's a cat smile, I've been working on it."

"It… suits you," Elsa said weakly.

Merida wrapped an arm around Elsa's waist. "Here's the beginnings of a plan, near as I can figure," she said. "Sort of an engagement tour: we sail to Corona to pick up Eugene—fairly soon, hopefully, before the baby bump starts showin'…"

"Yeah, that's only gonna be in, like, a minute," said Rapunzel, sliding a hand across her belly. "I'm starting to…"

"Yes, I'm so sorry your tummy is now flat instead of concave, ya twig," Merida said dryly. "You're a bunch of twigs. And your eyes are too big and your boobs are too perky, you're just a whole family of crazy-gorgeous—it's just ridiculous. Anyway, after that, we all go to DunBroch to celebrate the engagement with my family. Then back to Corona, where we drop off Rapunzel, and the three of us back to Arendelle."

"That's a good plan," Anna chirped. "We get more time together. It's good, isn't it, Punzie?"

"Yeah," Rapunzel said softly. "It's… good."

"And then a whole life with your husband and baby," Anna said solemnly.

"Mm-hmm," Rapunzel agreed. "Yeah… I'm sure ready to get that started."

"Aww." Anna held Rapunzel's hand.

"So, regarding the play…" said Kristoff.

Anna jumped in alarm. "Oh! Kristoff… forgot you were here."

"Lucky you," he said contemptuously.

Immediately, she jumped on him and began kissing him.

Rapunzel sped up her stride for a moment, to walk alongside Elsa and Merida.

"So… your engagement?"

"Preparing to reveal it," said Elsa, glancing at her ring. "It'll be quicker than revealing our relationship was. Soon. Maybe we'll make a party out of it."

"Uh-huh," said Rapunzel. "And the plan for banging in every room of the castle?"

Elsa glared at Merida. "You told her about that?"

"Honey, I told everyone who'd listen," said Merida. "I can't quit bragging about the life we have together. Plus, I want people out of our way."

Elsa sighed. "Well, that's fair. Makes it easier. It's good, we crossed off four rooms last night and another three today so far…"

Rapunzel's eyes swam with tears. "My God, that sounds amazing."

Elsa put a hand on the small of Rapunzel's back. "You okay, cousin?"

Rapunzel wiped her eye. "It's just… been a while for me. I'd _love_ to do it in every room in _my_ castle…"

Elsa shrugged. "Something to do when you're back with Eugene?"

"Yeah… I'd also love to do it seven times in twenty-four hours, but…"

"Oh, aye, men can't really do that, can they?" Merida said slyly.

Rapunzel laughed and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's, like… I've learned to accept the limit of two a day. Three or four if Eugene doesn't mind getting cramps in his hand. And tongue."

Anna caught up to them. "Hey, what are we talking about?"

"Sex, because what the hell else do we ever talk about?" Elsa grumbled.

"Where's Kristoff?" said Rapunzel, looking around.

"Oh, he had to sit down. I think he lost all the blood flow to his legs… happens a lot. I'm a really good kisser, you know. Can't help myself sometimes."

~0~0~0~

 **~0~0~0~0~0~**

 **AN:** Rapunzel and Eugene conceived on Day 9—which is exactly the reason that day included the story's first on-page sex scene. I hope you appreciate how much care and math I put into these things. Like, if you've thought Anna's likability is dwindling bit by bit… carefully calculated, moving toward a resolution. Hopefully it's reversible.

So, it's currently the 12th of March, and this is the last chapter I had pre-prepared. I have to face the reality that with everything else going on in my life and now being certifiably in my _late_ twenties, I don't have the time to spare for two massive fanfiction projects.

Therefore, my plan is as follows. I will put _Princess Party_ on hold for a little while. My other big project, _Romance and the Fate of Equestria_ , is three chapters away from the end of a story arc, so I'll get those three chapters done as quickly as I can and then put that story on hold as well.

 _Princess Party_ will return in July, and I'll do as much as I can with it over the course of the latter half of 2019. And… that'll be my status quo as far as fanfiction writing goes. I'll spend the first half of every year on RFE, and the second half of every year on _Princess Party_. Not abandoning my fanfiction, totally committing to finish what I started and planned out, just admitting that I can't let it be my top priority anymore.

If you like my writing and want to keep track of things that _will_ continue all year long, I'd like to direct you to _Whirlwind_ , the adaptation of the weekly _Dungeons & Dragons_ campaign I'm running, and also my YouTube channel, link on my profile, where I have a podcast that talks about original works I intend to do and more ambitious fan projects. Plugging aside, I will see you back here in July. Thanks for reading.


	46. Day 36

**AN:** All right, here we are. I'm back! I've been on hiatus for about three and a half months, and… this is the only chapter I've actually written in that time. There's been a lot on my mind. I definitely have a lot of plans for _Princess Party_ —like, "six seasons and a movie" kind of plans. I've certainly structured the rest of Book 2… it's just been difficult for me to arrange each chapter into a finished product.

 **Day 36**

"Okay… okay, all right, okay, all right…" Elsa muttered. She ran her fingers along the shelf of a small curio shop near the edge of Arendelle. "Gah… how am I going to find anything meaningful? I'm the worst at getting gifts…"

"No, you're not," Merida said in surprise. "What about the crown for Anna? And my ring?"

Elsa mumbled something unintelligible.

"Ease up, lass," Merida said soothingly. "A gift doesn't have to be meaningful. It just has to _be_. Then it _is_ meaningful."

Elsa took a deep calming breath. "Okay. Gosh… I wish I'd gotten to know your mom better… I spent her whole time here sneaking off to make out with _you_ , after all. We only had a few small encounters, and most of them were to talk about you. And I've _never_ met your dad…"

"Wow," Merida remarked. "Sneaking off to make out. Feels like a lifetime ago that we'd sneak around just to _kiss_. When in fact it was only a matter of weeks. And now we're going all the way in every room in the castle…"

"Granted, every couple of weeks _vastly_ increases the time we've known each other…" Elsa picked up a small bear figurine. "Your family likes bears, right?"

"Well, not as much as we used to… bit on-the-nose now…"

"Right. You know, we should probably get something for Eugene too. That would be—wha—Merida?"

Merida had pinned her against the wall of the small shop, and in short order stood on tiptoe and forced her tongue into Elsa's mouth and her hands around her breasts.

"Mmm!" Elsa said in alarm, then, relaxed: "Mmm…"

"Had to have you right here in the bloody knick-knack store," Merida said breathily, wrapping her arms around Elsa's waist.

"You just _love_ doing this in public."

"Public is the best place for it."

"Admit it, Merida," Elsa teased, "you're just here for my body."

"It wounds me to my core that you can even say that, my darling," Merida said pompously. "I won't deny, though, that if that _was_ the only reason I was here, this whole marriage thing, this whole being with you for eternity thing, would be well worth the price of admission."

"All this, alone, huh?" said Elsa, shaking her torso back and forth.

"Well, not _just_ your bod," said Merida. "Your head too. Pretty head."

Elsa giggled, releasing an involuntary snort as she did so. "And… you won't miss the dozens and dozens of girls you had back home?"

"You're worth more than all the rest of them put together, my queen," Merida said tenderly. "Yeah… as of today, I'm all about monotony. I mean, monogamy."

Elsa smirked. "You did that on purpose."

"Yes, but I was kidding."

"Uh-huh."

"What? I really was kidding."

~0~0~0~

Rapunzel sat on a bench in the castle garden, fidgeting, looking at nothing in particular.

"Punzie?"

Rapunzel looked up to find Elsa and Merida standing over her.

"Hey, you guys," Rapunzel said quietly.

"Got something for you," said Elsa, holding up a purple jeweled necklace.

"Whassat for?"

"Just to congratulate you on your… conception," said Elsa, draping it over Rapunzel's neck. "Merida and I got gifts for all the family we'll be seeing on our voyage, and… I thought I'd get one for you too."

Rapunzel gave a tiny smile. "Thanks, Els. You're sweet."

"You okay, Punzie?" said Merida.

Rapunzel nodded. "Just missing home. And… needing some alone time."

"Ask and ye shall receive," said Elsa, kneeling down. Rapunzel tensed up as Elsa leaned in for a kiss, relaxing when it landed on her forehead.

"Love you, Elsa," Rapunzel said weakly.

"You too, cousin."

As Elsa and Merida departed, Anna appeared, taking a seat at Rapunzel's side. "Hey, cuz!" she chirped. "You know, things are beginning to look up. Our self-control has improved, you're preg-o, Elsa and Merida are engaged, and soon we're going on the voyage of a lifetime. Thought I'd break out some good wine…" She placed two glasses on the bench beside Rapunzel and poured one for herself.

"Oh, God," said Rapunzel, burying her face in her hands. "I hope I haven't had too much to drink this month…"

"Of course you haven't," Anna said gently. "You're not much of a drinker."

"I had a shot contest with Merida at the soirée."

Anna winced. "Right, okay, that was a thing. That was _one_ thing."

"One thing in the first month of my pregnancy," said Rapunzel, gesticulating wildly. "The first trimester is… is like… vital, or something, right? That's when the baby is first being put together…"

"Punzie, I would assume that _most_ women have no idea they're pregnant in the first month," Anna said soothingly. "Most babies come out okay in spite of that. Don't freak out. Here." She poured some wine into the other glass, and offered it up to Rapunzel. "Relax."

Rapunzel glared. "Are you crazy? What was I _just_ talking about?"

"A little glass won't hurt the baby," Anna countered. "It's being excessive that does damage, and you definitely never do that. A little bit is good for you." She swirled the wine around under Rapunzel's nose. "Just some nice, heart-healthy red wine. In moderation. It's good for you."

Rapunzel scowled.

"I'm not just making this up," Anna said defensively. "I've been reading up on pregnancy. You know, just in case. And boy, have _I_ needed to drink excessively." She took a swig directly from the bottle.

After a few seconds, her expression not softening, Rapunzel took the glass from Anna and gave it a sip.

"There you go," Anna said encouragingly. "And you can cut back from now on if that'll make you more comfortable. I may have needed a drink at the thought that I was pregnant. But you? You, this is what you've wanted for a while, isn't it? And don't worry, you'll be back with your husband before you know it."

Rapunzel nodded, staring at her reflection in the wine. "Where, um… where are those books about pregnancy you were reading? I ought to take a look at them. I know the basics, but… Gothel told me so many horror stories about pregnancy, I think I really need a full education on the subject, sort the truth from the lies. I've put so much thought into _getting_ pregnant that I never thought about _being_ pregnant…"

"You bet," said Anna. "Come on, let's hit the library."

They stood up and walked together.

"So…" Rapunzel said quietly. "How have things been in the Marvel universe?"

"Oh, not bad, not bad…" said Anna. "I'm at the end of the second phase of the story. A second Adventurers book. Killer robot. Still virtually nothing about the purple guy. I'm sure to people who are familiar with the legends his appearances mean a whole lot, but… I'm not getting it. All I'm getting is that he's purple, he's got a magic glove, and he doesn't like to stand up. And then the last book of the second phase was just a heist novel, introducing a new character, it wasn't bad, but a bit underwhelming for a finale…"

"I've got to catch up to you," Rapunzel mumbled.

"Well, we'll be sailing soon. There'll be plenty of time to kill there."

"Yeah…"

"Yeah!"

"You're gonna like Corona," Rapunzel said wistfully. "It's a beautiful kingdom. I'll take you to my favorite neighborhood to visit… there's an ice cream shop, and all these hip and trendy clothing stores, and a Starbucks, and… another Starbucks."

"It sounds great," said Anna. She smiled at Rapunzel for a few seconds, then leaned in to give her a little kiss on the cheek.

Rapunzel turned to look at her, and Anna immediately flinched. "I'm sorry."

"No. No, that was… acceptable."

~0~0~0~

 **AN:** There we go, then. Hopefully I'll be able to create and post further chapters on a weekly basis. …Probably not. But all my plans will always be there.


End file.
